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This  book  may  be  kept  out  TWO  WEEKS 
ONLY,  and  is  subject  to  a  fine  of  FIVE 
CENTS    a   day   thereafter.    It   is   due   on   the 

day   indicated   below: 


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5M— D-45— Form  3 


Outapiaries 

and  their  management 


By 

M.  G.  DADANT 


Published  by 
AMERICAN  BEE  JOURNAL 

Hamilton,  Illinois 
19  19 


Copyright   1919 

BY 

M.  G.  Dadant 


To 
H.  H.  D. 


94709 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2009  with  funding  from 

NCSU  Libraries 


http://www.archive.org/details/outapiariestheirOOdada 


PREFACE 


Increased  demand  for  lioney,  better  means  of  transport  to 
outyards,  and  consequent  increased  interest  in  beekeeping  as  a 
pursuit  have  changed  many  smaller  beekeepers  into  outapiaris+s. 
This  volume,  I  hope,  may,  in  some  degree,  aid  the  beginning 
outapiarist  in  planning  and  managing  his  system  of  apiaries. 

The  marketing  of  honey,  though  it  is  connected  closely  with 
the  outapiarist,  is  not  treated  in  this  book.  It  is  a  subject,  how- 
ever, which  has  not  had  its  share  of  attention  from  the  beekeeper. 
Were  better  methods  of  distribution  striven  for  as  are  methods 
of  production,  the  demand  for  our  product  would  be  almost  un- 
limited. 

The  writer  is  specially  indebted  to  his  father,  brothers,  and 
to  Mr.  Frank  C.  Pellett  for  ideas  and  information  embodied  with 
his  own  in  this  book.  The  cuts  have,  nearly  all  of  them,  appeared 
in  the  American  Bee  Journal  for  which  they  were  made  by  Air. 
Pellett. 


CONTENTS 


Chapter  I -INTRODUCTORY 13 

Ht'gitmiiifis  of  Outapiaries. 
Dependent   upon  the   Man. 
Prime  Kequisites. 

Chapter  II— CHOOSING  A  GENERAL  LOCATION 17 

Desirable  Place  to  Live. 
Honey   and   PoUen. 
Overstocking. 
No  P^oulbrood. 
Nearness  to  Market. 

Chapter  III— SELECTING  APIARY  SITES    25 

Distance  Apart. 

Honey  Flora. 

Good  Roads. 

High   Ciround. 

Wind    Breaks. 

Shade. 

Other    Considerations. 

Chapter  IV— BASIS  OF  PLACING  THE  APIARY   33 

Owner  Not  Renter. 
Rental  Price. 
Bees  On  Shares. 

Chapter  V— THE  APIARY  ITSELF 39 

Arrangement. 

Number  of  Colonies-Overstorknig. 

Decoy  Hives. 

Watering  places. 

Wa.x  Extractors. 

Fire. 

Extra  S'u])]ilies. 

Chapter  VI— GENERAL  SYSTEMS  OF  MANAGEMENT <7 

Permanent  Apiary. 
Migratorv   Beekeejjing. 
Central   Plant. 
Keeping  Records. 

Chapter  VII— WINTER  AND  SPRING  WORK 53 

First  Examination. 

Second  Examination. 

Drone  Layers  and  (^ueenlcssness. 

Feeding  and  Spring  Dwindling. 

Building  Up — Stimulative  Feeding. 

Foulbrood. 

Hospital  Yard. 


CONTEXTS 


Chapter  VIII— EARLY  SUMMER  WORK 59 

Swarm   Control. 
Supers  and  Supering. 
Queen  Excluders. 

Chapter  IX— THE  HARVEST     67 

Removing  the  Honey. 

Extracting. 

Replacing  Supers. 

Receptacles  for  the  Crop. 

Honey  Knives. 

Cappmgs  and  Capping  Melters. 

Danger  of  Moths. 

Requeening. 

Chapter  X— FALL  AND  EARLY  WINTER    79 

Protection  from  Winds  and  Cold. 
Outdoor  vs.  Cellar  Wintering. 
Outdoor  ^^  intering  S\-stems. 
Cellars  and  Cellar  ^^  intering. 


Chapter  XI— MOVING  BEES 95 

Short   Distances. 
Gloving  a  Few  Miles. 
The  Long  Overland  Haul. 
Moving  by  Rail. 

Chapter  XII— AUTOMOBILES  AND  TRUCKS    103 

Type  of  Car. 

Trailers. 

Launches. 

The  Motorcycle. 

Chapter  XIII— HONEY  HOUSES  AND  EQUIPMENT   100 

Requirements. 
Location  of  House. 
Types  of  Houses. 
Temporary  House. 
Portable  House. 
Sectional  House 
Permanent  House. 
Central  Plant. 
Interior  Arrangements. 


INDEX 


Apiaries,  Distance  apart    2o 

Apiary,  Arrangement  of  colonics    39 

Apiary,  placing    33 

Artificial  windbreaks 28 

Arrangement  of  a])iaries 26 

Automobiles  and  Trucks    .  .  .■ 48,  103 

Bee-escape    67 

Brood-chamber    60 

Building  up  colonies •'io 

Cajiiiing  Cans    73 

Capping  Melters    73 

Cappings,  Handling    74 

Carload  Shipments    48 

Cellars 89 

Central  Plant 49,  119 

Chaff  packed  hives    83 

Clamps,  Bees  in 92 

Climatic  Conditions    19 

Costs  of  operation  1-4 

Dadant  method  of  winten'ing N" 

Decoy  Hives 42 

Demaree  ])lan 60,    64 

Distance  Bees  Fly 26 

Drone  Comb 60 

Drone  Layers -^4 

Electric  Power _  124 

Entrances 57,    61 

Examination  of  colonies  o3 

Extracting    67,    69 

Fall  work    79 

Feeding   54 

Feeding,  Stinuilative 55 

Fi  -e,  Danger  of    45 

FoulbrocKr 22,  49,  53,  57,  77 

Foundation 60 

Four  Colony  case    86 

Grimm,  Adam    15 

Hand  barrow    70 

Harbison,  .John    14 

Harvest 67 

High  Ciround    27 

Honey,  Heating  from  extractor    ■ 122 

Honey-houses,  Central  ])lant   119 

Honey-houses,  Interior  arrangement 121 

Honey-houses,  Location  of    112 

Honey-houses  and  arrangement    109 

Honey-houses,  Permanent    116 

Honey-li(aises,  Portable 114 

Honey-houses,  Sectional 114 


INDEX  ix 

lloncy-liouses,  Size  of 117 

Honey-houses,  Temporary 113 

Honey-liouses,  Types  of 113 

Honey-knives 73 

1  lospital  vard 57 

Launches _  108 

l.ocat  on,  Choosing; 1 T,  25,  32 

-Manipulation  of  colonies    60 

Market,  Nearness  to 22 

Mice  in  honey -house 110 

Migratory  Beekeeping    48 

Milk  cans  for  honey  72 

Minor  plants    19 

Motorcycles    108 

Moths    76 

Moving  Bees    95 

Moving  a  few  miles ■ 97 

Moving  by  rail , 101 

Moving  long  distances 99 

Moving  short  distances    97 

Number  of  colonies  in  location   40 

Overstocking    20,    40 

Packing  methods,  Outdoor    83 

Pollen    ,  .  . ; 56 

Portable  equipment     47 

I'ower  for  extractor 124 

Queen  excluders 64 

Queenless  colonies  54 

Queens  cHpped 59 

Queens,  Young 62 

Ramada    30 

Receptacles  for  the  crop 72 

Records  of  colonies 50 

Removing  the  honey     67 

Rental  price   33 

Requeening     62,    77 

Requisites 15 

Roads,  Good    26 

Robber  cloths 68 

Screened  entry 112 

Screens  for  the  honey-house    Ill 

Screening  hives  for  moving    i  ■]" 

Settling  tanks "2 

Shade  for  hives    29,    61 

Shares,  Bees  on   36 

Single  colonj^  case 84 

Slope  for  hives 28 

Spacing  of  frames    61,    65 

Spring  dwindling  54 

Steam  for  knife  outside    123 

Summer  work 59 

Supers  and  supering    6-^ 

Supers,  Replacing   '}} 

Supers,  Taking  off 'J" 

Supers,  wet,  carrying  over Jl 

Swarm  control '59 


X  IXDKX 

Systems  of  manageiuent 47 

Temperature  in  cellar 91 

Tents  for  extracting    114 

Trailers 107 

Uniting    o4 

Vcntilat  ion 61 

\\  ater  for  bees  43,    56 

Watering  jilaces  43,    44 

Wax  extractors    ' 43 

W  indbreaks    -7 

W  indows  in  honey-house    110 

Winter,  Preparing  for 79 

Winter  work 53,    79 

Wintering,  (^'llar 81,    89 

Wintering,  Outdoor 81 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

The  late  John  Harbison   Fig.     1 

Minor  honey-p hints  are  useful     Fig.    2 

liroken  land  furnishes  diversity  of  flora    Fig.    3 

i^ees  gathered  around  rye  chop  in  spring Fig.    4 

Diagram  of  the  Dadant  apiaries      Fig.    5 

The  apiary  should  be  well  above  flood  marks     Fig.    6 

A  slope  furnishes  the  most  natural  windbreak Fig.    7 

Some  beekeepers  use  a  slatted  fence  windbreak Fig.    8 

A  brush  fence  windbreak    Fig.    9 

A  Kansas  apiary  protected  by  natural  windbreak Fig.  10 

'  *  Ramada"  in  New  Mexico  serving  as  shade    Fig.  11 

Colonies  in  long  rows  facing  in  same  direction Fig.  12 

The  hives  may  be  placed  in  rows  facing  each  other    Fig.  13 

The  Scholl  apiaries  are  arranged  in  groups  of  five     Fig.  14 

John  W.  Cash  finds  forty  colonies  the  limit  Fig.  15 

The  California  apiary  often  contains  200  colonies Fig.  16 

A  watering  place  for  bees  should  be  provided    Fig.  17 

A  three-deck  watering  trough  of  a  queen-breeder Fig.  18 

Rough  records  on  the  back  of  hive  caps Fig.  19 

Ten  pound  friction-top  pail  for  stimulative  feeding    Pig.  20 

Five-gallon  oil  cans  for  hauling  feed    Fig.  21 

Placing  wet  combs  in  the  open  is  to  })e  discouraged    Fig.  22 

The  France  honey  strainer     Fig.  23 

The  Dadant  strainer  for  barrels     Jig.  24 

Large  settling  tanks  for  storing  honey Fig.  25 

Box  arranged  for  sulphuring  combs  from  below     Fig.  26 

A  cylindrical  honey-house  made  for  storing  combs    Fig.  27 

Hives  wintering  close  together    Fig.  28 

An  apiar}'  of  chaff-packed  hives      Fig.  29 

The  single  colony  packing  case  finds  many  advocates    Fig.  30 

The  quadru]>le  case  is  difficult  of  improvement  in  colder  latitudes 

where  outdoor  wintering  is  desired Fig.  31 

A  pile  of  leaves  stacked  in  nets Fig.  32 

The  leaves  are  corded  on  a  big  truck Fig.  33 

The  straw  mat  is  placed  next  to  the  frames Fig.  34 

Placing  the  big  telescope  covers  back  on  the  hives Fig.  35 

The  completely  packed  hive    Fig.  36 

( )ne  of  the  France  cellars  in  Wisconsin Fig.  37 

Cheap  temporary  cellar  as  used  by  Western  Honey  Producers  in 

Iowa Fig.  38 

Hive  .screened  for  moving  in  hot  weather  Fig.  39 

Moving  an  apiary  40  miles  by  auto  truck Fig.  40 

How  one  California  queen-breeder  moves  his  outfit  to  a  new  location  Fig.  41 

The  truck  is  fast  replacing  the  slower  wagon  in  moving  bees Fig.  42 

Where  the  haul  is  short  and  the  weather  cool,  colonies  may  be  moved 

with  the  covers  on •  •   ■  •  Fig.  43 

"Old  Sally,"  a  seemingly  indestructible  car  in  the  Dadant  ajjiaries, 

seeing  service  in  moving  bees  a  short  distance Fig.  44 

A  light  pleasure  car  with  commodious  box  on  the  rear,  is  a  prime 

requisite  in  the  small  outapiary  system Fig.  45 


A  big  three  ton  truck  hauling  cased  honey Fig.  40 

Trailer  pulled  by  a  pleasure  car    Fig.  47 

Another  type  of  trailer  often  encountered    Fig.  48 

For  transporting  bees,  there  is  nothing  better  than  the  huuicli     .  .  .  .Fig.  49 

Bees  clustering  around  a  screened  window   Fig.  50 

Screened  entry  to  the  honey-hou.se  that  will  keep  bees  out Fig.  51 

A  temporary  house  in  us(»  in  a  Texas  apiary    Fig.  52 

Three  types  of  extracting  houses    Fig.  53 

Honej'-iiouse  built  so  that  it  inay  be  cut  apart Fig.  54 

Honey-house  with  ample  ventilation  for  extracling    Fig.  55 

An  outapiary  honey-house  with  cellar  beneath    Fig.  56 

Central  extracting  plant  of  K.  F;.  Sutton    Fig.  57 

Central  plant  of  the  Jager  apiaries  in  Minnesota    Fig.  58 

Interior  arrangement  of  M.  H.  Mendleson  honey-house     Fig.  50 

A.  A.  Lyons  of  Colorado  runs  two  extractors Fig.  t)() 

Settling  tanks  and  heating  system  in  basement Fig.  61 


CHAPTER  I 

PREREQUISITES 

\Yhen  the  beekeeper  outgrows  beekeeping  in  his  home  apiary 
and  decides  to  take  up  outapiary  work,  it  is  assumed  that  this 
is  done  with  the  main  object  of  increasing  his  income. 

It  is  therefore  evident  that  it  is  desired  to  ehminate  the  non- 
essentials and  to  formuhite  a  plan  that  will  give  him  the  greatest 
returns  for  the  least  labor  involved.  He  must  make  the  most 
out  of  the  apiary  always,  but  he  should  do  it  in  the  least  time 
and  not  sacrifice  himself  to  petty  details  to  the  detriment  of  his 
ever-growing  industry.  The  grass  may  not  be  well  kept,  the 
hives  ma}'  be  out  of  level,  but  the  other  extreme  of  minute  exact- 
ness in  outapiary  work  is  nearly  as  bad  as  lack  of  care,  at  least 
financial]}'. 

Experiments  as  a  rule  will,  or  should  be,  confined  to  the  home 
apiary,  in  which  more  tune  may  be  spent  and  more  careful  super- 
vision given,  though  the  keeping  of  outapiaries  will  give  oppor- 
tunity for  a  larger  variety  of  experiments  and  room  for  more 
general  observation  on  many  subjects. 

In  the  early  days  of  outapiaries  it  was  considered  good  prac'iCe 
to  keep  a  man  at  each  apiary  during  the  summer.  In  r,ome 
instances  now,  where  very  large  outapiaries  are  possible,  a  helper 
is  kept  at  each  yard  during  the  swarming  season.  But  with 
the  coming  of  the  automobile  and  truck,  and  with  better  roads, 
it  is  the  usual  practice  to  handle  all  yards  from  a  central  home 
apiary  or  from  several  central  apiaries  if  the  system  is  sufficiently 
large  to  warrant  division  of  control. 

The  Beginnings  of  Outapiaries 

Too  many  of  us  are  apt  to  assume  that  outapiaries  are  of  but 
I'ecent  development;   that   they   have  been  in  operation  but  a 

13 
D.    H.   HILL   LIBRARY 

North  Carolina  State  Colless 


14 


Onw  IMA  HIES 


Fig.  1.     The  late  John  Harbison  of  California,  one  of  the  i)ioneers  in  the 
production  of  honey  in  outapiaries. 


PP.EHK(a'ISIT]':s  ir, 

few  years.  Yet  two  of  America's  i^ioneer  beekeepers  were  wont 
to  handle  their  bees  in  several  apiaries  and  made  a  sueeess  of 
protkicing  and  sclUng  honey.  As  early  as  18(59  John  Harbison  of 
California  was  mentioned  as  having  several  hundred  colonies 
scattered  in  different  localities,  while  Adam  (irinnn,  one  of  Wis- 
consin's most  noted  beekeepers,  was  considered  a  prominent 
authority  on  hauling  bees  to  outapiaries,  the  overstocking  of 
localities,  etc.  His  writings  on  these  subjects  appeared  in  the 
American  Bee  Journal  as  early  as  1874. 

Dependent  on  the  Man 

It  will  be  useless  to  trj'  to  give  a  definite  plan  in  this  book 
whereby  anyone  can  keep  bees  either  at  home  or  in  the  outapiary 
and  be  uniformly  successful.  Success  will  depend  chiefl}'  on  the 
man.  He  must  first  of  all  be  a  successful  beekeeper  in  his  home 
apiary.  A  beekeeper  who  cannot  make  a  success  of  his  home  yard 
should  not  attempt  the  more  difficult  outapiary  management, 
for  he  will  surely  fail. 

Furthermore,  he  should  have  his  heart  in  his  work.  Xor 
must  he  be  so  wrapt  in  details  that  he  caniiot  give  up  some  of 
these  in  order  to  make  his  plans  correspond  to  the  demands  of 
his  increased  holdings. 

Prime  Requisites 

The  beekeeper  should  decide  before  launching  into  outapiary 
work,  as  to  the  kind  of  hive  he  is  to  use.  It  should,  as  much  as 
possible,  be  elastic  enough  to  fit  in  with  his  system,  1  earing;  in 
mind  that  non-swarming  should  be  one  of  the  prime  requisites; 
especially  is  this  true  with  the  outapiaiy,  where  only  occasional 
visits  are  made. 

His  bees  should  be  of  good  energetic  stock,  disease  resistant, 
and  as  nearly  non-swarniers  as  is  ])ossiblc.  Unless  he  has  had 
experience  with  other  races,  he  can  do  no  bettei-  than  to  stick 
to  pure  Italian  stock. 


16  OUTAPIARIES 

General  Subjects  Given  Limited  Treatment 

It  will  be  impossible  in  this  book  to  give  detailed  plans  of 
operations  on  specific  subjects  such  as  swarm  control,  disease, 
wintering,  increase,  and  honey  production. 

These  subjects  will  necessarily  be  treated  only  as  thej^  apply 
specificall}^  to  outapiaries,  and  the  reader  is  advised  to  make  a 
study  of  each  subject  in  connection  with  some  good  text  book 
on  beekeeping.  Subjects  more  generally  applicable  to  outapiaries 
such  as  moving  of  bees,  honey  houses,  automobiles  and  convey- 
ances, etc.  will  be  more  fully  treated. 

Extracted  honey  will  be  discussed  mostly  since  it  lends  itself 
best  to  the  outapiary. 


CHAPTER  II 


CHOOSING  A  LOCATION 

For  many  years  there  has  been  conducted,  in  the  American 
Bee  Journal,  a  department  to  answer  questions  for  beginners 
and  veteran  beekeepers  ahke.  Prol^ably  one  of  the  questions 
most  frequently  asked  is  ''Where  shall  I  locate?" 

Desirable  Place  to  Live 

This  question  cannot  be  answered  to  the  satisfaction  of  all, 
since  each  person  has  considerations  outside  of  beekeeping  which 
will  affect  his  choice.  The  climate,  a  home,  educational  facilities 
for  his  children,  etc.,  will  have  a  bearing  on  nearly  everyone. 
One  man  might  not  like,  or  his  family  might  not  be  able  to  stand, 
the  rigors  of  a  ^Montana  winter,  another  might  balk  at  the  damp- 
ness of  an  Arkansas  bottom,  while  another  might  prefer  the  soli- 
tude of  a  California  ranch  to  the  Inisy  life  nearer  the  larger  cities. 
Still  another  might  desire  the  higher  altitudes  for  reasons  of 
health. 

]\Iany  will  have  established  themselves  and  will  hesitate  to 
leave  old  associates  and  ties  already  made,  only  in  order  to  increase 
the  honey  yield. 

Granted,  however,  that  this  has  been  taken  into  consideration, 
and  that  the  qucv^tioner  is  concerned  onl}'  with  the  value  of 
locating  for  honey  production,  there  are  several  things  which 
should  be  taken  into  account  before  final  decision  is  made,  and 
moreover,  such  final  decision  should  be  reserved  until  personal 
inspection  of  the  place  has  been  cai-efully  made  by  the 
beekeeper.     Too  many  have  located  only  on  the  advice  of  some 

17 


18 


OUTAPIARIES 


friend  or  on  llie  sugjijcstion  of  some  article  about  a  certain  section, 
laying  stress  on  the  desirable  features  of  such  location  while  omit- 
ting the  drawbacks,  which  in  themselves  might  alter  the  situation. 

We  have  in  mind  a  veterinarian  who  left  a  certain  section 
previously  reconnnended  to  him.  It  was  an  excellent  place  for 
his  practice,  but  he  held  fleas  in  al)horrence,  and  they  abounded 
there. 


Fig.  2.     Minor  iloncy  plaiils  arc  usclul  in  liciping  stimulate  brood-rcarinj 


CHOOSIXC  A  LOCATION  19 

Honey  and  Pollen 

A  first  class  place  for  lioiicv  i)ro(liictioii  must  lie  one  containing 
honey  plants  in  sufficient  c[uantity  to  assure  at  least  one  main 
flow  during  the  3'ear;  the  best  places  being  those  which  contain 
the  greatest  profusion  of  plants,  and  are  capable  of  guaranteeing 
the  largest  surplus  yield. 

In  the  white  clover  regions,  of  the  East  and  Central  West, 
those  places  are  most  sought  after  which  have  another  main  flow 
besides  the  clover,  because  the  clover  flow  is  not  certain.  A  bass- 
wood  location  or  sweet  clover,  buckwheat,  or  fall  flowers  combine 
well  v\-ith  white  clover,  while  a  location  containing  a  number  of 
these  would  be  preferable  to  one  with  only  two  flows. 

Naturally,  we  might  conceive  of  a  location  having  all  of  these 
fl3wers  which  would  be  only  of  minor  importance  in  honey  pro- 
duction, from  the  fact  that  such  plants  weie  not  in  sufficient 
abundance  to  make  a  surplus  flow,  while  another  location  contain- 
ing clover  alone,  might  give  such  enormous  crops  in  good  seasons 
as  to  overbalance  failures  of  short  years. 

In  the  West,  alfalfa  and  sweet  clover  make  a  good  combination; 
in  the  Pacific  belt,  sage,  sweet  clover,  alfalfa,  bean,  orange,  and 
other  locations  are  sought. 

Climatic  conditions  are  a  determming  factor  in  nectar  secre- 
tion. Some  apparently  good  clover  locations  are  not  of  the 
best  because  climatic  conditions  are  not  good  during  the  period 
of  the  honej'  flow,  or  the  summer  becomes  so  dry  that  the  clover 
''burns  out"  and  a  complete  failure  follows.  Average  rainfall 
and  average  temperature  should  be  carefully  studied.  Irrigated 
districts  here  have  an  advantage.,  for  the  moisture  is  in  stable 
quantity  and  removes  one  uncertainty  from  the  crop. 

It  is  not  only  the  main  honey  flowers  which  must  be  considered 
however,  minor  honey  plants  may  help  greatly  in  building  up 
the  colonies  in  the  early  spring.  Pollen  plants  will  induce  brood 
rearing,  though  it  is  possible  to  some  extent  to  sujiplement  early 
pollen  artificially.    IMinor  honey  plants  may  also  encourage  brood 


20 


OUT  APIARIES 


rearing  between  flows  in  the  summer  or  fall,  when  otherwise, 
the  colony  Avould  depopulate  to  such  an  extent  that  little  of  the 
second  or  third  crop  might  be  secured.  Also  a  small  flow  in 
earl}"  fall  may  stimulate  brood  rearing,  thus  putting  the  bees  into 
winter  quarters  with  a  large  force  of  j'oung  bees.  ]\I.  V. 
Facey  of  Minnesota  asserts  that  the  largest  variety  of  honey  plants 
is  to  be  found  in  a  "broken'  countiy.  The  low  lands  will  furnish 
late  flowers,  while  the  trees  and  plants  of  the  hills  and  uplands 
will,  in  ordinary  seasons,  give  a  continual  source  of  honey  from 
early  spring  to  late  fall. 

Overstocking 

It  may  be  that  after  such  a  location  has  been  found,  the  bee- 
keeper will  discover  the  territoryalreadyoccupiedwith  bees  and  in 


FJS-  3.  A  broken  land  furnishes  the  greatest  diversity  of  flora 


CHOOSING  A  LOCATION 


21 


danger  of  overstocking  if  another  live  beekeeper  witli  a  series  of 
apiaries  establishes  hiniselt  in  this  locahly. 

Although  there  is  no  law  picventing  overstocking  or  protecting 
the  old  established  beekeeper  m  his  location  against  the  new,  yet 
it  is  a  pretty  well  observed  unwritten  law  that  an  already  estab- 
lished beekeeper  should  be  protected  in  his  rights  of  pasturage 
in  the  vicinity  surrounding  his  apiaries.  Besides,  it  would  be 
folly  to  begin  new  apiaries  under  su(h  handicaps,  since  the  pei' 
colony  production  wouUl  not  only  he  cut  down  for  the  established 
man.  but  for  the  newcomer  as  well. 

The  specific  question  as  to  what  overstocking  of  a  locality 
is.  will  be  treated  in  another  chapter. 

It  would  be  our  advice  to  the  new  beekeeper  to  consider  well 
before  settling  in  a  section  already  taken  up  by  extensive  bee- 


Fig.  4.     Bees  gathered  around  two  buckets  of  rye  chop  which  had  been  set 
out  in  early  spring  during  a  dearth  of  natural  pollen, 


22  Ot'JWPlAKlKS 

keepers,  and  probably  the  l)est  way  to  get  an  idea  of  the  possi- 
biHties  of  such  locations  is  by  intimate  conversation  with  these 
beekeepers. 

No  Foulbrood 

The  up-to-date  beekeeper  knows  how  to  combat  disease,  and 
may,  with  care  and  persistent  work,  rid  his  apiaries  of  both  Euro- 
pean and  American  foulbrood.  But  it  would  be  a  great  relief 
if  it  were  possible  to  locate  in  a  section  entirely  free  from  disease. 
Outside  of  losses  caused  by  applying  disease  remedies,  the  labor 
will  be  reduced  greatly  where  it  is  not  necessary  always  to  be  on 
the  alert  for  foulbrood. 

Many  a  manipulation  practiced  in  the  locality  without  disease 
is  impossible  where  foulbrood  exists.  Beekeepers  hesitate  to 
interchange  combs,  to  strengthen  weak  colonies  from  the  strong, 
and  some,  even,  do  not  raise  extracted  honey  because  of  the  fear 
that  foulbrood  will  necessitate  the  destruction  of  many  extracting 
combs.  One  prominent  beekeeper  in  Illinois  has  built  up  a  nice 
bulk-honey  business  by  running  entirely  for  comb  honey  in  shal- 
low frames  and  buyirg  extracted  honey  to  pack  with  it. 

Naturally,  states  which  have  well  balanced  foulbrood  laws 
and  extension  departments  where  beekeeping  is  in  the  hands  of 
specialists  will  be  preferred. 

Nearness  to  Market 

Depending  on  whether  the  beekeeper  expects  to  wholesale 
his  honey  in  large  quantities  or  whether  he  wishes  to  work  up  a 
retail  trade  lor  his  own  brand,  he  should  decide  whether  to  place 
himself  near  to  his  markets  or  can  att'ord  to  be  further  away.  The 
working  up  of  a  special  retail  trade  in  many  ways  offers  advan- 
tages. It  occupies  the  time  of  the  protlucer  when  work  is  slackest 
in  the  apiary.     It  gives  him  a  better  price  for  his  product. 

The  item  of  transportation  is  not  a  small  one.  There  are 
excellent  locations  for  be^s  which  are  slow  to  be  taken  up  because 


C'H()()SI^X;  A  l.OCATIOX  23 

they  are  a  long  distance  from  a  railroad  and  the  haul  cner  rough 
roads  is  expensive.  The  advent  of  the  automobile  truck  ii  to 
outapiary  beekeeping  is  lessening  this  objectionable  feature  in 
a  measure,,  but  the  transportation  expense  is  still  there. 

It  may  pay  the  beekeeper  to  live  nearer  his  markets  even 
though  he  produce  much  less  honey. 


24 


OUTAPIARIES 


lifi.  ■").  The  Dadant  apiaries  in  1919.  The  upper  cluster  of  apiaries  are 
primarily  clover  locations.  Those  in  the  bottom-land  are  temporary  loca- 
tions to  which  bees  arc  moved  for  the  fall  flow,  while  the  five  bluff  locations 
are  a  combination  for  both  clover  and  fall.  It  is  hard  to  overstock  the 
bottom  locations  during  a  heavy  fall  flow.  The  circles  represent  a 
diameter  of  4  miles,  with  the  apiary  in  the  center. 


CHAPTER   III 


SELECTING  APIARY  SITES 

Haviuii-  cho-^en  his  general  location,  it  remains  for  the  bee- 
keeper to  select  sites  for  his  individual  apiaries.'  With  the  object 
in  view  of  an  ever  increasing  business,  these  apiaries  should  be 
located  with  due  respect  to  each  other  and  to  the  home  yard,  to 
make  the  work  as  systematic  as  possible.  With  most  outapiarists 
using  automobiles,  to  do  then*  work,  it  is  oftentimes  possible 
to  visit  several  apiaries  in  a  day,  and  for  this,  especially,  the 
apiaries  should  be  arranged  in  series,  having,  for  instance,  three 
or  four  apiaries  in  one  general  direction  so  they  may  be  reached 
on  the  same  trip  without  too  much  extra  thne  spent  on  the  road. 

Other  things  beirig  equal,  it  would  be  a  mistake  to  locate 
one  apiary  ten  miles  south  and  the  other  ten  miles  north  of  the 
home  yard  when  they  might  be  placed  in  the  same  general  direction 
and  four  or  five  miles  apart. 

Distance  Apart 

As  a  general  rule  apiaries  of  any  size  should  not  be  located 
less  than  two  miles  apart,  and  if  the  terrain  is  not  Ihnited,  it  would 
be  well  to  increase  this  distance  to  four  or  five  miles.  It  takes 
little  time  with  a  horse,  and  still  less  with  a  car,  to  travel  the 
extra  two  or  three  miles  when  this  would  be  an  advantage  rather 
than  have  the  pasturage  overlap. 

This  matter  of  distance  makes  le.-^s  difference  in  a  bountiful 
season  than  in  a  poor  one.  In  the  white  clover  regions  during 
a  hea\T  flow  it  is  doubtful  whether  bees  go  farther  than  a  mile 
in  search  of  nectar,  and  it  is  certain  that  the  bulk  of  their  harvest 
is  procured  much  nearer  than  this.  But  the  beekeeper  has  not 
onlv   to   consider   the   heavy    flow,  but  also  the  light  flows  and 


::■) 


D.   H.   HILL   LIBRARY 
North  Carolina  State  Coilegs 


2(i  OUTAPIARIKS 

honey  dearth.  He  must  arrange  his  apiaries  so  that  they  will 
be  most  advantageously  located  for  the  bad  season  as  well  as  the 
good. 

The  shape  of  the  country  sometimes  has  a  great  deal  to  do 
with  the  distance  bees  will  fly  to  get  nectar.  Instances  have 
been  noted  where  bees  went  as  far  as  six  miles  for  nectar.  Over 
hills  and  woods  bees  will  fly  less  distance  than  over  a  level  prairie 
or  down  an  unbroken  valley. 

Honey  Flora 

Not  only  in  choosing  his  general  location,  but  in  choosing 
each  apiary  site,  the  beekeeper  must  be  guided  largely  by  the 
flora  afforded.  There  is  a  wide  range  of  flora  sometimes  in  a 
restricted  territory,  and  it  may  be  possible  to  increase  the  yield 
to  an  appreciable  extent  by  observing  the  rules  which  apply  in 
deciding  upon  the  general  apiary  site — the  one  which  has  the 
greatest  variety  of  honey  and  pollen  flowers,  besides  having  the 
best  opportir.ity  for  major  honey  flows  from  the  more  important 
plants. 

A  shift  of  location  of  a  mile  or  two,  especially  in  a  broken 
country,  may  give  your  bees  access  to  a  honey  flow  which  they 
might  otherwise  miss.  It  may  even  be  advisable  to  change  the 
location  for  a  single  season  to  place  the  apiary  near  a  large  field 
of  alsike,  sweet  clover,  l)uckwheat,  or  similar  plant. 

Good  Roads 

The  location,  if  possible,  should  be  on  good  roads,  which  will 
allow  of  trips  and  examinations  even  in  most  unfavorable  weather. 
Spring  trips,  for  feeding  and  eai'ly  examinations,  often  have  to 
be  taken  at  a  time  when  roads  ai-e  at  their  worst,  and  it  is  some- 
thing in  its  favor  if  the  apiary  can  be  reached  without  undue 
effort. 

Then,  too,  there  is  I  he  hauling  away  of  the  surplus  crop,  the 
reciueening,  and  other  examinations,  which  must  l)e  done  at  the 
stipulated  time,  muddy  roads  or  not. 


SELECTIXC  Al'lAIiV  SITKS 


27 


Fig.  6. 


The  apiary  should  be  located  well  above  the  flood  nuuk  ut  1 
water. 


lly,lK'.^t 


High  Ground,  etc. 

It  is  not  advisable  to  locate  in  a  marshy  basin  where  there 
is  recurrent  danger  of  standing  water  and  even  floods.  The 
apiary  should  be  on  fairly  high  ground,  and  in  all  cases,  the  hives 
should  be  placed  so  they  ma}-  not  stand  in  the  water,  or  if  it  is 
necessary  to  use  such  a  location,  hives  should  be  protected,  as 
the\'  are  in  sections  of  Florida,  by  being  raised  on  scaffolds  high 
enough  to  l)e  bej'ond  the  danger  of  rising  and  receding  waters. 
In  these  instances  the  roads  are  water  and  trips  are  made  by  skiff 
or  motor  boat.  The  late  0.  O.  Poppleton,  long  idea  hive  advocate, 
was  very  successful  with  his  Florida  apiaries,  all  of  which  were 
located  so  as  to  be  approached  by  motor  boat. 


Windbreaks 

Especially  in  northern  latitudes  where  wintering  is  one  of 
the  main  problems,  it  is  desirable  to  so  locate  the  apiary  that  it 
will  be  protected  from  the  prevailing  winds.  This  may  be  done 
in  one  of  several  ways.     Coggshall  of  New  York,  advised  placing 


28 


OUTAPIARIES  1 


Fig.  7.     A  .slojie  furnishes  the  most  natural  windbreak.       Dadant  home 
apiarj"  where  bees  have  been  kept  continuoush'  for  over  forty  years. 

the  apiary  near  a  wood  so  that  the  force  of  the  wind  wouhl  he 
broken,  or  within  a  double  row  of  shriibbeiy  or  evei'^reens. 

Another  good  way  is  to  locate  on  a  slope,  awaA'  from  the 
prevailing  winds,  which  would  be  usually,  in  the  northern  hemis- 
phere, on  a  southern  or  south-eastern  slope.  This  would  have 
the  added  advantage  of  giving  the  bees  the  sim's  rays  to  keep 
them  warm,  though  in  rare  instances  there  might  be  danger  of  the 
bees  being  enticed  to  fly  when  the  air  was  yet  too  cool,  resulting 
in  a  loss  of  chilkMl  bees  outsid(^  the  hive. 

Artificial  windbreaks  are  frequently  used.  High  fences  are 
often  placed  on  the  north  and  west  of  apiaries  to  turn  the  wind, 
while  some  beekeepers  believe  that  a  slatted  fence  is  better.  The 
slatted  fence,  they  argue,  breaks  the  force  of  the  wind  while  a 
tight  fence  deflects  the  wind  upwards,  creating  a  vacuum  and 


SELECTING  APIARY  SITES 


29 


Fig.  8.     Some  beekeepers  use  a  slatted  fence  as  windbreak.     This  fence 

breaks  the  force  of  the  wind  but  does  not  cause  drifting  of 

snow.     A  Fettit  apiary  in  Ontario. 

causing  an  undercurrent  which  is  as  bad  as  the  wind  itself.  Then 
too,  the  tight  board  fence  is  apt  to  cause  snow  drifts  covering 
the  first  row  of  hives  if  they  are  placed  close  to  the  fence.  In 
the  accompanjdng  cat  we  show  one  of  the  Fettit  apiaries  in 
Ontario  with  slatted  fence  for  windbreak. 

Shade 


In  warmer  climates,  shade  for  the  hives  is  desirable,  although 
there  is  but  little  doubt  that  broken  shade  is  preferable  to  a  dense 
shade  durmg  the  whole  of  the  day.  Too  much  shade  is  apt  to 
delay  the  bees  in  getting  out  in  the  morning  and  it  also  holds  the 
bees  in  the  hive  earlier  in  the  evening.  Too  dense  shade  in  hot 
weather  causes  lack  of  air  circulation.  Colonies  ma}-  suffocate 
and  combs  melt  down  under  the  most  unfavorable  conditions, 


30 


OUTAPIARIES 


Fig.  9.     A  brush  fence  at  the  back  of  one  of  tlic  Kauchfuss  apiaries  in 

Colorado,  that  serves  the  double  purpose  of  l)reaking  the  force  of  the  wind 

in  winter  and  raising  the  line  of  flight  of  bees  in  summer,  so  that  they 

do  not  disturb  i)assers-b3'. 


Some  adjust  the  matter  ])y  using  shade  boards  over  the  cover 
of  the  hive.  There  is  Httle  doubt  however,  that  a  reasonable 
amount  of  natural  shade  is  beneficial,  and  to  the  beekeeper  at 
work  as  well  as  to  the  bees. 


In  New  Mexico,  Arizona,  and  parts  of  California,  on  the  plains 
where  raturai  shade  is  lacking,  the  apiarist  builds  a  "ramada" 
or  sort  of  shed  covered  with  long  grass,  under  which  the  bees  are 
placed  in  double  rows,  back  to  back,  with  an  all(^>'  way  lietween. 
In  such  locations  shade  is  well  nigh  indispensable. 


SELECTING  APIARY  SITES 


31 


'    •'    *> 


!' 


Fig.  10.     .\.  Kaii.sa.s  apiary  protecttHl  by  a  natural  wiiulljrcak. 


Jig.  11.       ■Ramada"  in  New  Mexico  which  serves  as  a  shade  tOr  tlie  bee- 
keeper while  he  works  as  well  as  for  the  bees. 


32  OlTAPIAHli:S 

Other  Considerations 

If  the  apiary  is  to  be  placed  with  other  people  and  i)artly 
in  their  care,  the  beekeeper  must  exercise  judgment  in  choice 
of  families.  A  man  who  lets  his  cows  run  upon  the  roads,  leaves 
his  fences  out  of  repair,  and  has  things  at  loose  er:ds  about  th(! 
premises  is  hardly  the  man  with  whom  to  place  your  bees. 

When  possible  it  is  advisable  to  place  the  apiary  within  sight 
of  a  house  to  reduce  the  danger  of  depredations  to  a  minimum, 
and  it  should  be  near  enough  to  the  main  traveled  road,  but 
remembering  that  angry  bees  are  apt  to  travel  twenty  rods  or 
more  to  seek  revenge. 

In  case  it  is  intended  to  use  a  building  already  on  the  premises 
as  a  honey-house,  the  apiary  should  be  as  readily  accessible  as 
possible  to  the  honey-house. 


CHAPTER  IV 


BASIS  OF  PLACING  THE  APIARY 

Probaljly  the  two  best  ways  to  locate  apiaries  would  l)e  either 
to  own  the  ground  upon  which  you  expect  to  place  your  bees  or 
have  some  relative  own  it.  It  may  be  possible,  in  many  instances 
to  purchase  an  acre  or  two  in  the  desired  location  or  to  lease  it 
for  a  long  term  of  A'ears. 

However,  not  being  able  to  purchase  the  desired  spot,  and 
having  no  relative  fortunately  located  directly  in  the  path  of  your 
proposed  apiarj',  the  only  thing  remaining  is  to  make  arrange- 
ments  with  the  existing  forces — namety — the  occupants  of  the 

location  chosen. 

Owner  Not  Renter 

"Where  possible  choose  a  land  owner  and  not  a  renter,  and  one 
who  seems  to  be  satisfied  with  his  location  with  no  desire  to 
change.  It  is  annoying,  after  having  gone  to  some  lengths  to 
choose  and  arrange  your  location,  to  be  moved  off  by  the  next 
renter  who  does  not  like  bees,  or  the  next  purchaser  of  the  farm 
who  does  not  care  to  be  "bothered"  with  them. 

Where  the  location  is  sought  for  only  a  single  season  such 
considerations  are  not  of  so  much  w'eight,  but  we  presume  that  a 
majority  of  locations  are  desired  permanently,  and  it  is  in  these 
instances  that  il  is  wise  to  choose  well  the  man  and  family  with 
whom  you  try  to  make  arrangements  for  your  apiary. 

Rental  Price 

There  are  three  possible  ways  of  arranging  for  rental  in  jilacing 
bees;  by  share,  cash,  or  aift. 

33 


34  OUTAPIARIES 

It  i.s  ohly  occasionally  that  the  land  owner  is  willing  to  allow 
the  bees  on  his  place  w'ithout  compensation;  and  why  should  the 
beekeeper  ask  it?  No  doubt  that  in  many  instances  the  bees 
do  the  farmer  much  good  through  increased  fertility  of  plants, 
but  the  beekeeper  is  getting  value  received  and  should  pay  for 
it. 

In  times  past,  more  than  now,  a  share  rental  varying  from  a 
fifth  to  a  tenth  of  the  honey  was  in  favor.  The  argument  for 
this  is  that  it  gives  the  land  owner  a  direct  interest  in  your  success 
since  it  means  added  income  for  him  if  you  do  well.  But  with 
the  advent  of  the  automobile  the  outapiarist  is  less  dependent 
upon  the  landowner  for  board  for  himself  and  teams.  In  fact 
it  very  often  happens  that  it  is  r  either  advisable  nor  profitable 
for  him  to  loiter  for  an  hour  or  two  till  meal  time  w^hen  he  could 
easily,  in  the  same  time,  return  home  or  go  to  the  next  outyai'd 
and  commence  operations.  Another  point  is  that  the  apiarist 
may  want  to  run  one  year  entirely  for  increase  with  no  surplus 
crop,  or  another  j-ear  he  may  have  to  feed  heavily,  when  it  would 
be  no  more  than  right  that  the  landowner  should  bear  his  pro- 
portion of  the  feed  given. 

The  cash  rental  is  given  in  the  largest  number  of  instances. 
The  amount  varies  greatly  with  the  different  apiarists,  l^eing  as 
high  as  $50.00  in  some  instances  and  as  low  as  $5.00  in  others, 
depending  on  the  section  of  the  country  and  upon  the  quality 
of  the  land  upou  which  the  bees  are  located. 

In  California  the  usual  rental  price  for  ])ees  in  the  forest 
reserves  is  ten  cents  per  colony  spring  count.  The  late  E.  France 
of  Wisconsin  reported  in  1895  giving  25  cents  per  colony.  In 
all  instances  it  pays  to  be  free  with  gifts  of  honc^y  and  to  keep  on 
the  best  of  terms  with  the  landlord. 

In  some  instances  the  agreement  includes  that  the  owner 
shall  hive  all  swarms,  in  others  he  is  paid  from  25  cents  to  $1.50 
for  each  swarm  hived. 

We  would  favor  a  cash  rental  averaging  probably  $20.00  to 


BASIS  OF  PLACING  THE  APIARY  35 

§25.00  per  year  for  each  location  for  an  apiary  of  75  to  125  colonies 
with  a  cash  payment  of  75  cents  to  SI. 00  for  each  swarm  hivecl. 

In  any  case  the  agreement  should  be  in  writing,  copies  to 
be  retamed  both  by  the  landlord  and  the  beekeeper,  so  that  there 
can  be  no  question  later  as  to  terms  agreed  upon.  "We  give  below 
a  standard  form  for  such  an  agreement  which  can  be  altered  to 
suit  specific  conditions. 

This  article  of  agreement  made  and  entered  into  this 

day  of ,  19 .... ,  by  and  between 

party  of  the  first  part  and 

P^ii'ty  of  the  second  part,  witnesseth: 

That  in  consideration  of  one  dollar  in  hand  paid  by  the  said 
second  party  and  the  stipulations  and  agreements  hereinafter 
mentioned,  said  first  party  hereby  agrees  to  lease  to  the  said 

second  party,  the  following  lands  to  wit acres  in  the 

part  of  his  home  place,  for  a  period 

of years. 

It  is  herein'  nuitually  agreed  that  the  said  land  shall  be  used 
as  an  apiary  site  and  for  no  other  purpose  except  as  nisiy  be 
necessary  in  the  care  of  the  bees  and  the  production  and  market- 
ing of  honey  and  wax. 

The  second  party  hereby  agrees  to  pay  to  the  first  party  the 

sum  of dollars  annually  on  or  before  the  first 

of  Jujy  as  rental  for  said  premises,  with  an  additional  rental  of 
fifty  pounds  of  honey  each  season  that  the  total  production  of 
hone}'  from  said  apiary  reaches  two  thousand  pounds  or  more 

Said  second  party  agrees  to  build  a  suitable  fence  to  protect 
said  apiary  from  live  stock  at  his  own  expense  and  to  keep  same 
in  repair  during  the  life  of  the  agreement. 


36  OUTAPIARIES 

It  is  further  agreed  that  the  said  second  party  shall  have 
access  to  said  premises  by  way  of  an  already  established  road: 
that  he  shall  have  the  privilege  of  erecting  buikhngs  thereon  for 
his  own  use  in  connection  with  the  said  apiary  and  that  such 
buildings  shall  remain  the  property  of  the  second  party  and  he 
shall  retain  the  right  to  remove  the  same  at  any  time  that  he 
shall  have  occasion  to  do  so. 

Signed  in  duplicate  this day  of 19.  . 

Signed 


It  may  not  be  amiss  to  give  form  of  agreement  suital)le  for 
running  of  bees  on  shares,  where  it  is  even  more  desirable  to  have 
an  absolute  agreement  between  the  two  contracting  parties.  The 
agreement  may  vaiy  with  the  conditions.  We  give  below  the 
usual  share  agreement  where  the  bees  are  owned  by  one  party 
and  run  by  another  on  the  share  basis. 

This  agreement  made  on  this  first  day  of  December  1919,  by 
and  between  John  Smith  and  Stephen  Brown,  witnesseth: 

That  the  said  John  Smith  hereby  agrees  to  lease  to  Stephen 
Brown  2C0  colonies  of  bees  together  with  hives  and  equipment 
and  to  furnish  such  extra  supers  as  may  be  necessary  to  harvest 
the  crop,  for  the  season  of  1920. 

The  said  Stephen  Brown  agrees  to  give  prompt  and  cai'eful 
attention  to  said  l)ees,  to  use  due  care  to  guard  against  dii-ease, 
and  if  disease  be  found  at  any  time  to  give  propei-  Ireitment 
thei'cfor;  to  use  diligence  in  saving  all  swarms  that  nay  issue, 
to  provide  necessary  stores  for  needy  colonies^  and  to  perform 
all  other  necessaiy  labor  in  the  harvesting  of  the  honey  (rop  and 
atteiiding  to  the  usual  work  of  the  apiary.  At  the  close  of  the 
season  he  further  agrees  to  return  to  John  Smith  the  full  mnnber 
of  colonies  provided  with  sufficient  stores  for  the  coming  winter, 
pi'ovided,  howevcn',  that  he  shall  not  be  responsible  for  losses 
caused  l)y  tornadoes,  storms  or  other  causes  beyond  his  control. 


BASIS  OF  PLACING  THE  APIARY  37 

and  proviileil  also  that  in  case  of  honej'  dearth  and  short  crop 
necessitating  feeding,  such  sugar  as  required  is  to  jjc  supphcd  by 
the  said  John  Smith. 

It  is  further  niutuahy  agreed  that  all  surplus  honey  and  wax 
shall  be  divided  equally  between  John  Smith  and  Stephen  Brown, 
and  that  each  shall  furnish  the  necessary  containers  for  his  portion; 
also  that  all  increase  shall  be  likewise  equally  divided  and  that 
each  shall  furnish  one-half  the  necessary  hives  therefor,  and  that 
the  said  Stephen  Brown  shall  furnish  his  own  tools,  provide  for 
his  own  board  and  other  expenses;  that  the  said  John  Smith  shall 
not  be  held  liable  for  an}'-  expenses  except  as  herein  provided. 
Signed  this  first  day  of  December,  1919. 

JOHN  SMITH 
STEPHEN  BROWN 


CHAPTER  V 


THE  APIARY  ITSELF 

Depending  upon  the  permanency  of  the  ai)iary,  the  beekeeper 
will  look  after  it.-  arranoement  with  more  or  less  detail.  It  is 
liest  to  have  order  and  tidiness,  in  fact  the  work  can  usually  be 
done  with  less  labor  if  order    is   observed,  Init  as  stated  liefore  in 


Fig.  12.     The  favorite  way  is  to  place  the  colonies  in  long  rows  facing 

the  same  direction. 


outapiary  work  it  is  inadvisable  to  be  so  exacting  in  neatness  as 
to  make  the  overhead  expense  out  of  proportion  to  the  corres- 
ponding gain. 

39 


40 


OUTAPI  ARIES 


Arrangement 

Depending  upon  the  system  and  desire  of  each  individual 
apiarist,  the  hivos  may  be  arranged  in  rows  several  feet  ajiart 


Fig.  13.     Tlu!  hives  may  be  placed  in  rows  facing  each  other. 

facing  in  the  same  (Urection,  in  rows  bade  to  back,  or  in  gi'oups  of 
two,  three  or  five  as  the  case  may  be.  But  the  apiarist  sliould 
give  this  matter  thie  consideration  with  the  uUiniate  object  of 
making  a  saving  of  steps  and  lal)oi .  Too  much  rc^gularity  may 
cause  loss  of  c^ueens  in  wedding  flight  and  it  is  well  to  have  trees, 
bushes,  etc.,  to  mark  the  location. 


Number  of  Colonies 

The  number  of  colonies  which  niny  be  kept  in  an  apiary  will 
vary  with  each  location  and  is  dependent  entirely  ui)on  (he  honey 
I'csources  of  the  locality  and  the  number  of  bees  in  that  innnediate 
vicinity  which  will  share  the  crop. 


THE  APIARY  ITSELF 


41 


Fig.  14.     The  Scholl  Apiaries  in  Texas  are  arranged  in  groups  of  five. 


Adam  Grimm,  writing  in  the  American  Bee  Journal  in  1874 
said:  "There  is  no  quest  ion  with  me  any  longer  that  the  smaller  th(! 
number  of  colonies  kept  in  one  location,  the  greater  will  lie  the 
yield  of  honey  from  a  singie  colony.  But  the  question  is  not  how 
the  beekeeper  can  secure  the  largest  yield  of  honey  from  a  smaller 
number  of  colonies,  l)ut  how  can  he  secure  the  largest  income  by 
keeping  bees." 

Grimm  thought  that  for  his  locations  in  Wisconsin  the  ideal 
number  was  from  50  to  100  colonies  placed  at  least  three  miles 
apart. 

Alexander  of  New  York  was  able  to  keep  750  colonies  in  one 
yard  and  one  year  secured  an  average  per  colony  production  of 
141  pounds  of  extracted  honey.  It  is  certain,  however,  that 
Ihis  yield  was  phenomenal,  and  was  due  to  an  extremely  fortunate 
location  and  to  a  profusiori  of  bloom  from  spring  to  fall. 

It  falls  upon  each  beekeeper  to  determine  for  himself,  either 
by  experience  or  by  excellent  foresight  for  just  how  many  colonies 
each  locality  will  afford  nectar  with  the  greatest  amount  of  pi'ofit, 
not  forgettir.g  that  the  poor  seasons  must  be  considered  along 
with  the  good  ones. 

Jolih  W.  Gash  of  Xorthcri)  (leorgia,  a  very  successful  apiarist, 
found  that   the  i.unibci',  for  him,  is  not  to  exceed  forty  colonies, 


42 


OUT  APIARIES 


Fig.  15.     John  W.  Cash  of  Georgia  finds  that  forty  colonies  in  an  apiary 
is  about  the  Umit  in  his  locality. 

while  J.  J.  Wilder  of  Southern  Georoia  estimates  fifty  the  maxi- 
inuiii.  In  most  eastern  and  central  western  locations,  success- 
ful apiarists  keep  from  75  to  125  colonies,  the  number  being 
larger  as  we  get  into  the  Kocky  Mountain  region  and  the  Pacific 
Coast,  always  being  dependent  on  the  nectar  possibilities  of  each 
location  and  the  number  of  other  l)ces  to  share  th(^  jiaslurage. 


Decoy  Hives 

Many  outapiansts  practice  with  success,  the  placing  of  decoy 
hives  in  elevated  places  throughout  the  apiary  to  catch  a  portion 
of  the  swarms  which  may  come  out  during  the  absence  of  the 
beekeeper.  Others  so  manipulate^  their  bees  that  the  swarms 
issuing  are  negligible  in  quantity  and  not  worthy  of  special 
arrangements. 


THE  APIARY  ITSELF 


43 


Fig.  16.     The    California    apiary    often    contains    two    or    three  hundred 

colonie.s  without  overstocking.      The  above  is  reproduction  of 

one  of  M.  H.  rClendleson's  apiaries. 

Watering  Places 

Water  is  necessaiy  for  bees,  and  unless  it  is  riaturally  plentiful 
near  the  apiary,  the  bees  will  find  it  where  the}'  can.  Much 
annoyance  will  be  saved  near-neighbors  around  horse  and  chicken 
troughs  if  the  beekeeper  will  provide  in  the  apiary  sufficient  to 
supply  the  bees  and  brood  during  a  drought. 

Different  devices  are  used  for  this,  probably  the  most  common 
being  a  tub  or  half-barrel  with  the  water  covered  with  an  abund- 
ance of  small  sticks  or  cork  chips.  If  the  barrel  is  placed  under 
the  eaves  of  the  honey -house  it  may  be  replenished  without  effort 
on  the  part  of  the  apiarist. 


Wax  Extractors 

Wax  scrai^ings  and  bits  of  conil)  should  be  saved,  and  there 
IS  no  better  way  than  to  have  installed  in  each  permanent  out- 
apiary  a  wax  sun  extractor  which  will  take  care  of  bits  of  comb 


44 


OUTAPIARIES 


I'ig.    1/.     A   watering   place  siiould   l)e   provided   to   keep   the    bees   away 
from  the  horse  aTj(l 'thicken  troughs. 


Fig.  18.     A  three-deck  watering  trough  in  use  by  a  large  c]uecn-breeder 

in  the  South. 


THE  APIARY  ITSELF  45 

thrown  in  and  will,  at  the  same  time,  provider  saf(»  resting  place 
for  odds  and  (>nds  of  conil)  in  which  there  ai'e  small  (luantities 
of  hone3^ 

Fire 

We  have  known  of  whole  apiaries  being  swept  by  fire  and 
totally  destroyed  through  lack  of  foresight  or  negligence  on  the 
part  of  their  owner,  to  make  proper  safeguards  before  a  drought. 
It  is  time  well  spent  to  have  your  apiary  in  such  shape  that  fire 
cannot  spread.  Besides,  weeds  in  the  apiary  serve  no  good  pur- 
pose. The}'  hinder  the  flight  of  tlie  bees  if  left  in  front  of  the 
hives. 

Extra  Supplies 

Extra  hives,  supers,  etc.,  at  each  apiary  are  within  the  discre- 
tion of  the  apiarist.  It  is,  however,  a  good  plan  to  have  smoker 
veils,  hive  tool,  a  few  hives,  and  a  few  supers  ready  at  hand  in 
case  they  are  needed. 

Maijy  apiarists  establish  honey-houses  and  full  outfits  for 
extracting  at  each  yard.  While  these  are  not  absolutely  neces- 
sary, we  consider  them  of  sufficient  importance  to  warrant  a 
special  chapter  on  honey-houses. 


CHAPTER   VI 


GENERAL  SYSTEMS  OF 
MANAGEMENT 

AVith  every  Ijeekeeper  will  lie  the  task  of  tleternuniii<>;  his 
specific  S3'steni  of  management.  Each  one  will  have  peculiari- 
ties of  management  which  will  affect  the  general  system  he  will 
follow  in  his  outapiaries.  INIoreover,  financial  and  other  con- 
siderations maj'  have  a  bearing  in  determining  just  which  of  the 
following  systems  he  will  consider  a  model. 

The  Permanent  Apiary 

Probal)ly  a  large  percentage  of  outapiarists  establish  their 
outyards  with  some  degree  of  permanency,  and  most  of  these 
have  honey-houses  at  each  outyard  to  take  care  of  supers  and 
equiiMuent  and  in  which  to  do  the  extracting. 

Many  of  these  have  a  full  equipment  at  each  yard  so  that 
th(!  only  hauling  is  new  equipment,  feed,  etc.,  and  the  bringing 
in  of  the  extracted  ci-op.  However,  an  extracting  equipment 
at  each  yard  means  much  idle  capital  during  a  large  poi'tion  of 
the  year.  Moreover,  such  equipment  is  likely  to  suffer  more 
fi'om  neglect  than  from  use. 

Likely  a  larger  proportion  have  a  portable  extracting  equip- 
ment, thus  requiring  less  capital.  The  extractor,  uncapping 
cans,  inciters,  etc.,  are  carried  from  apiary  to  apiary,  the  honey 

usuallv  ])eing  hauled  home  as  fast  as  extracted. 


48  OUTAPIARIES 

Shifting  Apiaries  and  the  Portable  System 

In  many  regions  il  is  inadvisaWe  to  establish  on  so  ijcrnianent 
a  basis,  and  the  beekeepers  place  their  outyards  without  any  pro- 
vision for  housing  equipment  except  temporary  shelter  for  supers,  etc. 
Extracting,  in  these  instances,  is  done  in  a  tent,  in  a  light, quickly 
erected  and  quickly  transported  house  of  screen  or  of  muslin,  or 
in  a  portable  house  on  wheels.  This  plan  is  practiced  in  all  parts 
of  the  country,  but  lends  itself  to  existing  conditions  l)est  in  Cali- 
fornia and  other  extreme  western  locations,  where  migi'atoiy  bee- 
keeping is  populai'. 

Migratory  Beekeeping 

The  okler  reader,  when  migratory  beekeeping  is  mentioned, 
will  recall  more  especially  the  experiences  of  C.  0.  Perrine  and 
others  in  attempting  to  practice  migratory  Vjeekeeping  between 
the  North  and  the  South,  a  long  haul,  fraught  with  large  chances 
of  failure,  and  usually  proven  so  unsuccessful  as  to  leave  no  doubt 
as  to  the  inefficiency  of  the  idea. 

But  the  advent  of  the  automobile  and  truck  has  made  a  uni- 
form success  of  migratory  beekeeping  on  a  short  haul,  say  of  100 
miles  or  less.  Many  central  western  beekeepers  now  haul  their 
bees  from  the  clover  fields  to  the  river  bottoms  in  fall  to  catch 
the  honey  from  heartease  and  Spanish  needle.  In  California 
it  allows  opportunity  to  go  to  the  orange  groves,  thence  to  the 
bean  fields,  to  the  sage  and  alfalfa,  or  to  any  other  crop  in  reach 
of  the  beekeeper. 

Some  l)eekoepers,  in  fact,  have  had  success  in  carload  ship- 
ments from  California  to  Nevada  and  Utah  and  back,  and  recent 
successes  were  reported  of  shipments  to  Utah  and  Wyoming  by 
Texas  beekeepers  during  their  seasons  of  drouth  and  dearth  in 
191G  and  1917. 

Migratory  })cekeo|)ing  on  hauls  of  100  miles  or  less  may  be 
considered  a  success,  but  long  trans-continental  hauls  will  need 


GEXEKAL  SY.STE.MS  OF  MAXACiEMEXT  49 

an  experienced  Ijeekceper  who  is  readily  al)le  to  incur  losses  sus- 
tained by  unfortunate  occurrences  which  are  to  be  expected  with 
this  plan  in  too  great  frequency,  and  who  knows  the  ins  and  outs 
of  niovinff  liees  on  a  large  scale. 


The  Central  Plant 

An  increasing  number  of  our  larger  beekeepers  dispense  with 
equipment  at  each  yard  and  have  a  central  plant,  all  supers  being 
stored  at  home,  and  all  honey  being  hauled  in  by  truck  to  be 
extracted. 

This  has  the  advantage  that,  in  the  central  plant,  all  con- 
veniences may  be  installed  permanently.  JNIanj^  items  of  equip- 
ment may  be  added  that  would  otherwise  not  be  practical. 

With  such  equipment  and  a  central  force,  a  larger  daily  average 
of  honey  can  be  extracted.  The  apiarist  is  usually  surer  of  regular 
hours,  and  one  set  of  equipment  is  all  that  is  necessar^^ 

At  the  end  of  the  season,  all  supers  are  at  home  where  they 
can  be  overhauled  for  the  coming  crop. 

The  disadvantages  are  that  there  is  greater  chance  of  spreading 
foulbrood;  in  fact  some  of  the  champions  of  this  system  would 
not  use  it  were  foulbrood  prevalent  in  their  vicinity.  There  is 
some  danger  to  run  from  melting  or  breaking  the  heavy  combs 
while  hauling  them,  and,  moreover,  roads  must  be  good  enough 
for  your  truck  to  travel. 

In  hauling  the  sticky  combs  back  to  the  apiaries,  robbing 
is  likely  to  occur.  Then,  too,  if  some  of  3-our  apiaries  are  30  or 
40  miles  away  the  long  haul  maj-  increase  trucking  costs  possibly 
to  the  point  of  overbalancing  the  advantages. 

If  bees  are  cellar-wintered,  cellars  will  be  needed  at  the  out- 
yard  in  addition. 


50 


OUTAPI  ARIES 


Proba])ly  a  large  proportion  of  beginners  will  do  well  to  es- 
tablish outyards  with  some  provision  for  extracting  there  until 
the  central  system  can  be  applied  directly  to  their  needs  through 
experience.  It  would  be  difficult  in  most  instances  to  get  a  large 
beekeeper  who  has  used  the  central  plant  to  go  back  to  the  older 
method. 


Keeping  Records 

Probably  in  no  branch  of  beekeeping  do  we  find  such  a  diver- 
sity in  mejhod  as  in  the  keeping  of  records  of  individual  colonies. 
Likely  the  most  minute  and  most  efficient  system  would  be  a 
card  index  with  a  card  for  each  colony,  properly  subdivided 
to  record  each  operation.  Close  records  may  also  be 
kept  by  record  books.  Systems  of  colored  pegs,  signs,  discs, 
etc.,  placed  on  the  hives  or  beside  them  are  also  used  with  success. 


Fig.  19.      ]^)ugll  records  on  the  back  of  hive  caps  are  used  by  many  large 

])r()ducers. 


GENERAL  SYSTEMS  OF  MANAGEMENT  51 

Probalily  a  great  proportion  of  large  beekeepers  keep  only 
partial  records  of  colonies,  using  a  "rough  and  ready"  system, 
while  some  use  no  records  at  all.  It  is  advisable  to  have  records 
sufhcient  to  trace  the  progress  of  disease,  the  age  of  queens  and 
the  honey  producing  qualities  of  all  colonies. 

Extensive  records  are  hardly  practical  for  the  outapiarist. 
That  i'^  why  we  see,  in  increasing  numl:;ers  the  use  of  indelible 
crayon,  blue  pencil,  etc.,  on  the  inside  of  hive  cover  or  on  the 
back  of  the  hive.  Such  marks  will  last  a  year  or  two  before  they 
are  obliterated  by  the  weather,  onh-  to  be  replacetl  by  newer 
records  by  the  beekeeper. 


CHAPTER  VII 


WINTER  AND  SPRING  WORK 

If  his  bees  have  been  properly  preparetl  for  winter  the  out- 
apiarist  will  have  little  to  occupy'  him  in  the  apiary  except  to  see 
that  bees  in  cellars  are  wintering  properly  or  that  entrances  are 
free  from  ice  if  he  practices  out-of-door  wintering.  This 
can  usually  be  arranged  in  co-operation  with  the  farmer  at  whose 
place  the  bees  are  kept  so  that  numerous  trips  to  the  outapiar}- 
will  hardly  be  necessary. 


First  Examination 

As  soon  as  the  bees  have  a  good  cleansing  flight  in  spring 
and  a  moderate  spell  of  weather  seems  imminent,  it  will  be  well 
for  the  beekeeper  to  make  the  first  rourcl  of  his  outyards.  En- 
trances should  be  freed  of  the  accumulations  of  winter,  dead  bees 
if  any  cleaned  out,  alighting  boards  made  clear,  and  all  dead 
colonies  carefully  closed  so  as  to  prevent  the  robbing  of  their 
honey. 

It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  outapiarist  does  not  have  American 
foulbrood  to  fight,  but  if  he  has,  and  a  case  has,  through  oversight  or 
neglect, been  allowed  to  go  into  winter  quarters,  the  colony's  death 
during  winter  without  consequent  closing  up  in  early  spring  will 
in  all  probability  give  the  beekeeper  nuich  troulile  through  spread 
of  the  infection  by  robbing. 

It  is  true  that  these  same  combs  may  be  used  later 
by  the  beekeeper  in  making  divisions,  but  in  such  instances  they 
will  only  be  given  to  one  or  two  colonies  and  if  i)ioper  records 
are  kept  such  disease  may  be  easih*  traced. 

53 


54  OUTAPIARIES 

At  this  examination  it  wiM  pay  to  regulate  the  entrance  of 
each  colony  commensurate  with  its  strength,  reducing  the  weak 
or  queenless  to  a  very  small  bee  space  and  enlarging  the  entrance 
of  the  stronger  colonies. 

Feed  should  be  at  hand  to  replenish  such  as  have  run  short 
through  one  cause  or  another. 

Many  apiarists  practice  leveling  hives  on  this  first  round.  It 
may  be  advisable,  however,  to  delay  this  until  later  when  all 
settling  of  the  ground  will  have  ceased. 

Second  Examination 

The  first  examination,  of  necessity,  will  be  superficial  owing 
to  its  earliness.  One  should  be  wary  of  disturbing  the  clusier 
to  look  for  stores,  queens,  or  disease.  This  may  well  be  attempted 
however,  on  the  second  trip  which  will  be  made  as  soon  as  settled 
weather  has  arrived. 

Drone-Layers  and  Queenless  Colonies 

In  a  majority  of  instances  it  will  not  pay  to  spend  valuable 
time  on  drone-laying  or  queenless  colonies.  It  is  with  difficulty 
that  queens  are  secured  at  this  season  and  such  colonies  generally 
are  very  hard  to  get  queen-right.  Probably  the  best  procedure 
is  to  unite  all  such  colonies  by  Dr.  Miller's  newspaper  plan.  This 
may  also  be  advisable  with  weak  queen-right  colonies. 
These  may  profitably  be  united  with  drone-layers  after  the  drone- 
laying  queen  has  first  been  found  and  disposed  of.  In  a  majority 
of  instances,  however,  it  will  be  more  profitable  to  unite  a  drone- 
layer  or  a  queenless  colony  with  another  strong  and  queen-right 
colony  rather  than  unite  several  weaker  colonies. 

Feeding — Spring  Dwindling 

If  the  beekeeper  has  been  foresight (hI,  he  will  so  have  prepared 
his  colonies  for  winter  that  kittle  feeding  will  have  to  be  done  in 


Fig.  20.     The  ordinary  ten-pound  friction-top  pail  with  one  or  two  holes 
in  the  cover  may  be  used  as  a  stimulative  feeder. 

the  spring,  since  one  of  the  principles  of  successful  wintering  is 
ample  stores  in  the  fall. 

In  a  similar  manner,  if  proper  preparations  were  taken  the 
fall  before,  the  bugaboo  of  ''spring  dwindling"  will  usually  itself 
"dwindle"  to  insignificance.  A  young  queen,  ample  stores,  and 
plenty  of  young  bees  in  the  late  fall  are  the  best  ciu'es  for  dwindling 
in  spring — outapiary  or  home  yard. 


Building  up — Stimulative  Feeding 

The  mam  factor  in  spi'ing  n\anagenient.  of  course,  is  to  have 
all  colonies  built  up  to  maxiuunn  strength  for  the  main  honey 
flow,  whether  it  be  for  the  orange  blossom  of  California  or  the 
white  clover  of  Iowa. 


56 


OUTAPIARIES 


Fig.  21.     Five-gallon  oil  cans  are  excellent  for  hauling  feed  to  ihi'  uut\  ard 

Ordinarily  we  would  expect  best  results  where  there  is  a  natural 
building  up  through  the  use  of  abundant  nattn-al  stores.  But 
in  many  cases  this  is  not  sufficient. 

Natural  pollen,  in  rare  instances  may  be  lacking,  and  the  out- 
apiarist  may  have  to  provide  a  substitute.  Lack  of  water  may 
also  hinder  l)rood  rearing,  though  this  is  rarely  so  in  early  si)ring. 


Uncapping  of  scaled  horey  to  induce  the  bees  to  use  up  such 
stores  in  brood  rearing  is  practiced  by  some,  but  this  would  hardly 
be  advisable  in  the  out  apiary.  Nor  would  stinnilative  feeding, 
which  consists  of  giving  a  small  quantity  of  warm  syrup  to  each 
colony  at  intervals  to  imitate  a  natural  flow.  B.  A.  Aidrich  of 
Iowa  uses  ten  pound  tin  pails  with  but  a  single  hole  in  the  cover 
for  stimulation.  In  this  manner  the  bees  get  the  syrup  slowly 
though  it  is  not  always  served  hot. 


WINTER  AND  SPKIXC;  \VC)1{K  57 

\\ith  excellent  prospects  for  a  clover  flow,  it  might  pay  to 
feed  for  stimulation  between  the  fruit  bloom  and  clover  so  as  to 
hold  brood  rearing  at  its  highest  point  and  reach  the  main  flow 
with  the  largest  possible  number  of  bees.  The  draw- 
l)acks  to  sthnulative  feeding  should,  however,  be  weighed  care- 
fully by  the  apiarist  as  the  ciangers  of  chilling  brood  through 
over  stimulation  are  great.  Extra  cose  of  special  trips  to  out- 
yards  must  also  be  considered.  Involved  manipulation  is  neces- 
sary. vStimulative  feedmg  is  advisable  mainly  in  localities  where 
several  weeks  elapse  without  any  bioom,  after  first  bloom. 

Foulbrood 

With  the  coming  of  the  first  flow  in  spring  it  is  essential  that 
all  colonies  b^  examined  for  foulbrood.  Some  localities  are  still 
free  from  the  disease,  Init  we  never  know  when  it  may  appear 
in  our  own  yards  from  cau.^-es  without.  In  spring  a  case  of  American 
foulbrood  develops  rapidly,  because  the  bees  are  then  using  up 
the  faulty  stores  for  their  brood,  the  colony  quickly  dwindles, 
and  the  stores,  if  am',  are  left  at  the  mercy  of  the  robbers  who  all 
too  quickly  transmit  the  disease  to  their  own  young.  Here  again 
the  value  of  contraction  of  the  entrance  of  weak  colonies  is  evident, 
since  it  gives  the  weak  foulbrood  colonies  opportunity  to 
protect  themselves  until  such  a  tune  as  the  beekeeper  can 
give  proper  treatment. 

With  European  as  with  American  foulbrood  the  time  to  examine 
colonies  and  treat  them  is  as  early  in  spring  as  possible.  Proper 
treatment  before  or  at  the  beginning  of  the  first  flow  often  may 
result  in  subsequent  building  up  of  the  colony  for  flows  to  follow. 

The  Hospital  Yard 

A  number  of  outapiarists  practice  with  success  the  assembling 
of  all  colonies  with  American  foulbrood  into  a  single  yard  for 
treatment.  This  has  advantages  which  I  believe  overbalance 
the  disadvantages. 


58  OUTAPIARIES 

In  the  first  place,  one  of  the  dangers  of  shakmg  for  foulbrood 
in  the  outyard  is  the  chance  of  bees  drifting  to  neighboring  col- 
onies with  full  honey  sacs,  thus  possibly  transmitting  the  disease. 
Manipulations  in  the  outyard  are  necessarily  hurried.  Proper 
care,  desirable  in  correct  treatment,  may  not  be  given. 

If  the  hospital  yard  is  to  be  established,  it  should  l)y  ah  means 
be  placed  in  or  near  the  home  yard.  Here  the  best  of  care  may 
be  taken  and  the  necessity  of  extra  long  trips  avoided. 

F.  W.  Hall  of  Iowa  has  practiced  this  plan  for  several  years 
and  finds  it  very  satisfactory. 


CHAPTER  VIII 


EARLY  SUMMER  WORK 

The  outapiarist  now  approaches  the  season  which  is  of  great- 
est importance  in  determining  whether  his  efforts  towards  keeping 
more  bees,  and  in  scattered  locations,  are  to  be  successfuL  He 
must  be  able  to  so  manipulate  that  his  colonies  will,  in  a  large 
measure,  remain  intact  for  the  flows  which  are  to  foilow.  Faulty 
manipulation  with  consequent  swarming,  may  mean  a  lessening 
of  the  crop  to  the  extent  that  he  will  work  at  a  loss,  while  intense 
management  may  result  either  in  not  being  able  to  care  for  all 
the  bees  handled  or  increase  operating  expenses  beyond  the  re- 
turns. 

Swarm  Control 

Your  method  of  management  may  call  for  examination  of 
colonies  periodically  to  cut  out  queen-cells,  and  to  keep  all  queens 
clipped  to  prevent  swarms  leaving,  but  this  entails  a  large  amount 
of  extra  work  at  a  time  when  the  outapiarist  is  busiest  caring 
for  his  numerous  yards. 

Even  though  the  above  method  is  practiced,  the  mere  fact 
that  ail  c^ueens  are  clipped  will  not  prevent  the  desire  on  the  part 
of  the  bees  to  swarm,  nor  will  it  prevent  an  effort  to  swarm,  with 
subsequent  loss  of  time  in  honey  production. 

What  we  should  strive  for  is  to  so  manipulate  the  outyards 
that  we  may  keep  the  impulse  to  swarm  at  the  minmimii,  for 
with  any  system  of  management  a  protracted  flow  may  result 
in  a  small  percentage  of  swarming.  We  should  endeavor  to  make 
this  percentage  negligible. 

59 


60  OIJTAPIARIES 

Six  requisites  have  Ijccn  emphasi/.ed  by  ('.  P.  Dadant 
as  dcsiralile  to  control  swarming.  They  are,  a  nnr.iniimi  of  drone 
comb,  ample  breeding  room,  plenty  of  super  room  for  honey, 
shade  for  hives,  ample  ventilation,  and  young  queens. 


Drone  Comb 

The  use  of  full  sheets  of  foundation,  both  in  the  brood  chamber 
and  in  super  frames,  has  to  a  large  extent  done  away  with  super- 
abundance of  drone  comb  in  the  hive.  Occasionally  however, 
carelessness  in  inserting  foundation  and  improperwiring,  resulting 
in  sagging,  will  cause  considerable  drone  comb.  It  will  pay  well 
either  to  cut  all  drone  coml)  from  defective  frames  and  insert 
worker  comb  or  foundation  iii  its  stead,  or  discard  such  coml)s 
completely. 

Large  Breeding  Chamber 

More  and  more,  extensive  beekeepers  are  incHning  towards 
the  hive  with  the  large  brood  chamber,  especially  for  extracted 
honey  production;  a  hive  in  which  the  queen  is  unrestricted  in 
lading,  which  will  accommodate  the  mosl  prolific  breeding  queens. 

Many  outapiarists  using  the  ten-frame  or  even  the  eight-frame 
Langstroth  hive  expand  the  brood  chamber  by  adding  a  second 
story  for  the  queen  as  soon  as  the  first  one  restricts  her  laying 
powers.  Their  plan,  then,  is  to  restrict  the  queen  again  to  the 
lower  story  at  the  beginning  of  the  first  good  flow  by  means  of 
the  queen  excluder  using  the  Demaree  plan  or  some  other  with 
modifications  to  insure  tiu^  largest  possil)]e  breeding  room  under 
existing  conditions. 

This  again  calls  for  considerable  manipulation,  much  more 
than  is  necessary  when  the  l)rood  chamber  has,  in  one  story,  the 
necessary  breeding  room. 


EARLY  SUMMKH  WORK  61 

Shade  for  the  Outapiary 

Shade  is  provided  in  the  outapiary  in  several  manners;  Ia' 
means  of  shade  trees,  extra  roofs  on  each  hive,  or  in  some  sections 
l)y  "ramadas"  mentioned  elsewhere  in  this  book.  Care  should 
be  taken  not  to  have  too  dense  shade  or  there  is  a  possibility  of 
encroaching  too  much  on  ventilation  which  is  ti'eated  l)elow  as 
one  of  the  requisites  we  are  seeking. 

Ventilation 

There  is  nothing  which  will  more  quickly  induce  bees  to  clus- 
ter out,  sulk,  and  get  the  swarming  fever  than  a  total  disregard 
of  ventilation.  How  many  an  amateur  or  "backwoods"  bee- 
keeper reckons  the  working  qualities  of  his  bees  by  the  number 
clustered  at  the  entrance.  How  many,  too,  are  sm-e  that  this  is 
a  sign  that  the  bees  are  going  to  swarm.  Who  cannot  recall  the 
inevitable  cluster  on  the  outside  of  the  illy-ventilated  Iwx-hive 
on  a  hot  summer  day. 

As  one  prominent  beekeeper,  James  Heddon,  said,  "beekeep- 
ing is  a  business  of  details; ''and  the  entrance, as  it  affects  ventila- 
tion, is  not  the  least  of  these. 

Beginning  in  earl}-  spring  when  the  entrance  should  be  expand- 
ed to  suit  the  needs  of  the  growing  colony,  the  outapiaris*  should 
keep  well  ahead  of  his  bees,  giving  at  length  a  full  width  entrance 
then  adding  to  the  ventilation  either  by  reversing  the  bottom- 
board  or  b}'  raising  the  body  of  the  hive  from  its  bottom-board. 
In  the  height  of  a  hone}-  flow  and  during  intense  heat  a  two  inch 
entrance  in  front  or  a  one  inch  entrance  all  around  is  not  exces- 
sive. 

Proper  spacing  of  frames  in  the  hive  will  also  give  added  ventila- 
tion. It  is  only  recently  that  the  value  of  a  1^  inch  spacing 
of  frames  has  been  acknowledged  as  superior  to  the  stereotyped 
If  inch  spacing  which  most  of  factory-made  hives  today  have. 


62  OUTAPIARIES 

The   1|   inch  spacing  provides  a  hirgcr  hive  not  in  ])iood  area 
but  in  ventilation. 

Young  Queens 

If  we  have  followed  recommendations  on  preparii  g  our  l;ees 
for  winter,  we  will  have  young  and  vigorous  queens  heading  all 
our  colonies  for  the  honey  flow  the  following  spring.  But  it  must 
be  remembered  that  there  is  no  orthodox  rule  ajiplying  to  the 
desirability  of  young  queens.  Some  may  prove  their  worthless- 
ness  before  their  progeny  has  had  a  chance  to  demonstrate  harvest- 
ing ability  and  these  should  be  gotten  rid  of  at  the  earliest  moment 
regardless  of  season. 

But  it  is  evident  that  the  desire  to  swarm  is  generally  stronger 
in  colonies  heatled  by  old  (jueens,  so  that  queens  less  than  two 
years  old  are  desii-aljle. 

It  may  be  that  a  queen  has  proven  so  good,  her  bees  have 
been  such  good  honey  gatherers,  that  we  have  more  to  gain  by 
retaining  her,  even  though  we  run  the  risk  of  swai-ming. 

There  is  another  matter  which  should  have  some  bearing  on 
queen  supersedure,and  that  is  whether  or  not  the  queen  has  licen 
through  a  long,  heavy  honey  flow.  In  the  season  of  crop  failure, 
with  breeding  restricted,  the  laying  ([ualities  of  a  queen  are  not 
put  to  so  severe  a  test,  so  tliat  possii)ly  a  majority  of  the  more 
prolific  may  be  valuable  enough  to  be  retained  for  another  season. 

We  cannot  leave  this  subject  without  mentioning  the  pian  of 
one  prominent  Iowa  apiarist  to  get  3'^oung  queens  for  the  harvest 
and  thus  control  swarming. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  honc^y  flow,  (clover  is  his  main  flow), 
the  colonies  are  ( arefuUy  gone  over  and  all  queens  over  two  years 
old  killed.  Each  colony  is  properly  marked  as  to  which  are 
desirable  to  breed  from. 

On  the  next  examination,  ten  days  later,  all  cells  are  destroyed 


KAKLY  SUMMER  WORK  63 

and  instead  is  inserted  a  conil)  either  with  a  cell  or  a  grafted  cell 
from  one  of  the  choice  breedino-  colonies.  Again,  a  week  or  more 
later,  the  third  examination  makes  sure  that  all  queens  have 
been  hatched  and  mated,  cells  being  inserted  where  needed  from 
colonies  previously  prepared. 

Supers  and  Supering 

"Anticipation  brings  Realization."  This  is  certainly  true  in 
putting  on  supers.  If  the  outapiarist  waits  till  the  main  harvest 
is  on  at  home  to  begin  his  round  of  superirgat  theoutyards  it 
is  a  safe  guess  that  he  will  be  too  late  at  some  one  of  his  outapiaries. 

Conditions  would  be  ideal,  certainly,  were  it  possible  to  have 
all  colonies  ready  at  the  same  time.  This  may  in  part  be  attempt- 
ed by  equalizing  brood  between  colonies  as  is  practiced  by  some. 
This  calls  for  more  manipulation. 

The  first  supers  for  surplus  should  be  put  on  at  or  shortly 
before  the  opening  of  the  honey  flow.  This  should  be  before 
the  queen  becomes  restricted  in  her  egg-laying  through  conges- 
tion of  honey  in  the  brood  chamber.  Certainly  it  is  not  a  wise 
plan  to  add  supers  three  weeks  in  advance  of  their  need,  since 
the  bees  have  an  added  story  to  keep  warm  during  the  cool  weather 
of  spring.  But  it  would  be  more  desirable  to  have  the  supers 
on  a  week  early  than  a  week  late. 

f 

So  with  the  second  and  third  supers,  the}'  should  be  given 
as  required  before  the  bees  become  crowded  for  storing  room,  while 
in  rapid  heavy  flows  two  or  even  three  supers  may  be  added  at 
once,  they  being  filled  with  nectar  almost  as  quickly  as  one. 

Adding  another  super  when  the  one  below  is  about  half  full, 
or  when  the  bees  are  storing  honey  from  one  edge  of  the  super  to 
the  other  is  the  usual  procedure.  This,  of  course  is  to  be  varied 
with  the  time  of  the  flow.  Towai'd  the  close  of  the  flow  it  will  be 
wiser  to  crowd  the  bees  rather  than  add  extra  supers  which  may 
not  be  needed.     This  is  especially  true  in  fall  flows  when  we  wish 


64  OUTAPI  ARIES 

to  crowd  the  brood  chamber  for  winter  and  when  there  is  very 
httle  chance  of  inducing  swarming  by  such  crowding. 

The  num])er  of  supers  which  are  necessary  per  hive  var}'  with 
the  system  adopted  by  each  beekeeper.  If  he  intends  to  extract 
during  the  flow  he  can  get  along  with  less  supers.  More  and 
more,  outapiarists  are  practicing  the  plan  of  having  on  hand  enough 
drawn  supers  to  hold  the  crop  of  an  ordinary  flow.  Then  if 
the  season  is  bountiful  it  may  be  necessary  to  extract  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  harvest.  The  Dadant  apiaries  are  run  with  from  three  to 
five,  six  inch  depth,  Dadant  size  supers  per  colony.  This  will 
hold  the  average  crop.  Yet  in  1916  it  was  necessary  to  keep 
continually  extracting  to  stay  ahead  of  the  bees.  One  apiary  was 
extracted  four  times  during  the  honey  flow. 

It  is  possible  to  get  along  with  two  supers  per  hive,  with  care- 
ful manipulation,  but  four  or  even  six  would  be  much  better. 

Queen  Excluders 

Many  beekeepers  running  for  extracted  honey  use  queen 
excluders  to  keep  the  queen  from  laying  in  the  surplus  cases. 
There  are  two  objections  to  their  use.  In  the  first  place  they 
hinder  to  some  extent  the  free  passage  of  the  bees  into  the  supers 
above.  In  the  second  place  they  restrict  the  queen  and  are  apt 
to  induce  swarmirg. 

In  hives  with  a  large  brood  chamber  the  excluder  is  not  so 
necessary,  since  the  queen  has  sufficient  room  below  and  finds 
no  occasion  to  go  above,  and  with  the  use  of  shallow  supers  in 
connection  with  the  large  brood  chamber,  queen  excluders  become 
unnecessary  except  in  rare  instances. 

To  overcome  this  objection  of  queen  restriction  in  the  smaller 
hives  many  beekeepers  practice  the  Demaree  plan  or  a  modi- 
fication thereof.  Until  the  beginning  of  the  surplus  flow  the 
queen  is  allowed  the  use  of  two  brood  chambers  for  egg  laying. 
Immediately  the  flow  starts,  she  is  put  into  the  lower  body  with 
a  frame  or  two  of  brood,  the  balance  of  the  body  being  filled  with 


ivUiLV  sum.\ii:k  work  65 

(liawM  coinhs  or  foundal  ion  and  an  excluder  is  inserted  between 
the  two  bodies.  Idnis  she  is  supphed  U)v  a  consid(>rable  time  with 
l)i-ee(hiig;  room.  If  this  be  repeated  at  intervals  the  queen  may  be 
supi)lied  with  empty  coml)s  and  the  tlanger  of  brood  restriction 
removed. 

In  tlie  greater  number  of  instances,  however,  the  excluder  when 
once  placed  is  left  for  the  remainder  of  the  flow.  An  iiicreasiiig 
iunnl>er  of  beekeepers  use  the  excluder  till  most  of  the  danger  of 
smarming  is  over,  when  it  is  removed  and  a  super  of  sealed  honey 
placed  next  to  the  brood  chamber  to  keep  the  queen  from  going 
above. 

As  stated  ahove,  the  use  of  shallow  extracting  supers  dis- 
courages the  queen  from  going  above,  especially  if  such  coml)s 
are  spaced  far  apart,  putting  eight,  or  at  most  nine  combs  in  a 
ten  frame  super.  Mr.  Cha;nbers  of  Arizona  claims  success  in 
putting  but  eight  frames  in  a  regular  ten-frauK^  full  depth  super 
to  keep  the  queen  below. 

However,  we  must  not  lose  sight  of  the  fact  that  all  such  plans 
as  tend  to  restrict;  the  laying  of  the  queen  are  not  as  desirable  as 
those  which  give  iier  sufficient  room,  nor  do  they  have  as  much 
effect  in  the  prevention  of  s'vai'ming. 


CHAPTER  IX 


THE  HARVEST 

If  tlic  beekeeper  has  sufficient  super  room  for  the  full  crop, 
there  will  be  iio  trouble.  All  honey  may  be  removed  at  the  end 
of  the  season.  But  if  we  must  extract  during  the  honey  flow, 
care  is  necessary  to  get  only  ripe  honey,or  if  any  unripe  is  removed, 
to  place  it  in  open  tanks  to  allow  evaporation. 

As  a  general  rule,  when  extracting  during  the  flow,  it  will  not 
be  safe  to  extract  any  but  sealed  honey.  However,  here  also  the 
l)eekeeper  must  use  his  own  discretion.  Very  often  he  can  tell 
whether  the  honey  wil'  do  by  its  densit}^,  by  the  readiness  with 
which  it  mav  or  mav  not  be  shaken  from  the  combs. 


Removing  the  Honey 

The  modern  bee-escape  is  a  most  useful  appliance  in  removing 
honey.  It  is  aunost  indispensable  to  the  comb-honey  producer. 
Since  the  use  of  the  automobile  has  become  so  common,  the 
escape  has  enhanced  in  value  to  the  extracted  honey  man  as  well. 
It  is  but  a  short  trip,  nowadays,  to  the  outapiary  in  the  after- 
r.oon,  putting  on  the  escapes  so  that  the  extracting  may  go  on  in 
full  force  the  next  morning.  In  an  hour  or  two,  two  men  can 
place  sufficient  escapes  for  a  full  day's  work  for  four  men,  but 
care  must  be  taken  in  placing  these  escapes,  especially  if  there 
is  a  dearth  of  honey,  not  to  allow  openings  in  the  supers  where 
robbers  may  find  their  way  to  the  unprotected  honey.  This 
will  not  only  develop  a  serious  case  of  robbing  but  may  also 
mean  the  complete  emptying  of  such  supers  as  are  exposed. 

The  presence  of  In'ood  in  the  supers  hinders  niatei'ially  the 
effectiveness  of  the  bee-escape.     Siniilarl\'.  if  the  (pUH'n  happens 

67 


68  OUT  A I 'I. \!{  IKS 

in  the  super,  the  bees  will  not  desert  liei'  to  ti<)  lielow.  These  two 
causes  have  many  times  resulted  in  failure  and  rejection  of  the 
escape  when  with  care  it  would  have  w^orked  properly.  Bees  will 
also  leave  sealed  honey  much  more  readily  than  unsealed.  Many 
remove  but  one  super  at  a  time  with  the  escape,  but  the  writer 
has  experienced  but  small  chances  of  failure  when  removing  two, 
thvve  or  four  supers  wdth  one  escape,  and  this  is  our  usual  proce- 
dure. 

The  greatest  hindrance  to  the  escape  is  very  cool  weather  when 
the  bees  are  less  apt  to  run  down.  They  do  go  down,  at  least, 
very  slowly.  Another  objection  in  cool  weather  is  that  when  the 
bees  go  down,  the  honey  cools  quickly  and  when  taken  off  is  very 
stiff  and  cold  and  hard  to  micap  and  extract. 

Many  use  no  escapes,  thus  saving  themselves  an  extra  trip  to 
the  outapiary.  They  use  a  combination  of  smoking  and  brushmg 
to  rid  the  combs  of  bees,  driving  them  below  with  cautious  smok- 
ing, after  which  the  remaining  ones  may  be  readily  brushed.  The 
bristle  bee  brush  is  best  for  this  purpose.  Carbolic  cloths  are 
spread  over  supers  by  some  to  drive  the  bees  down. 

The  advantage  of  the  bee-escape,  however,  cannot  be  denied, 
nuich  overbalancing  its  disadvantages. 

Each  outapiarist  has  his  own  method  of  getting  full  supers 
from  the  apiary  to  the  extracting  house.  Some  erect  tracks  with 
cars  capable  of  loading  several  supers  at  a  time.  A  larger 
majority  locate  the  houses  as  convenic^ntly  as  possible  and  use  an 
ordinary  garden  wheelbarrow  ('(luipped  with  springs  to  lessen 
the  jar  on  the  combs. 

It  is  wise  to  be  provided  with  burlap  cloths  to  he  used  as  robber 
cloths  to  cover  supers  from  the  time  they  are  taken  from  the  hives 
until  they  are  in  the  shelter  of  the  extracting  building.  A  flat 
drip  pan  on  the  barrow  is  almost  a  necessity,  especially  where  bees 
are  brushed  instead  of  using  the  bee-escape. 


Till-:  IlAliNKST 


ao 


Extracting 

The  niaiiDd'  of  extrat'liiii;-  luu.st  vary  gi'catly  with  the  system 
of  the  outapiarist,  whether  he  has  a  hand  portable  outfit,  a  per- 
manent equipment  at  each  yard,  or  hauls  all  honey  to  the  central 
plant,  and  whether  he  uses  a  crew  of  men  or  practices  the  one-man 
system.  The  idea  may  be  to  work  as  rapid) \'  as  possible  with 
a  large  crew,  or  take  time  and  reduce  outside  labor  to  a  minimum. 


Fig.  22.     The  placing  of  wet  combs  in  piles  in  the  open  for  bees  to  rob 
out  and  clean  up  is  to  be  discouraged. 


70 


OUTAPIVmES 


Extractors  will  Ix'  taken  up  fui'tlicr  in  nnolhci-  chapter  (lenlii.ii 
with  exti'a('tin<i,'  houses  and  (Hiuipnieut . 


Replacing  Supers 

There  is  some  aclvantap;e  in  extracting  before  the  close  of  the 
honey  flow.  In  fact  it  will  pay  the  apiarist  to  make  a  careful 
study  of  the  honey  flora  and  the  honey  flow  and  so  time  his  opera- 
tions that  the  extractin"-  may  Ije  done  just  as  the  flow  is  endni,";, 

lose  no  honey,  and  still  not 
be  extractinii  durinti-  a 
honey    dearth. 

During  a  honey  flow  the 
supers  may  be  returned  to 
the  hives  as  fast  as  extract- 
ed, the  same  number  being 
replaced  on  each  colony 
as  it  had  before. 

But  in  a  honey  dearth 
I'ohhing  will  certainly  be 
aggravated.  It  is  better  to 
wait  till  the  close  of  the 
day  wh(>n  all  sujiers  may  he 
returned  in  a  short  time. 
All  can  then  be  cleaned 
by  the  colonies  before 
morning.  For  carrying 
supcM's  l)ack  to  the  apiary 
a  hand  barrow  is  very 
desirabl(\  Two  men  can 
carry  from  ten  to  twenty 
supers  at  a  load  while  one 
man  in  the  apiary  smokes 
the  l)ees  and  I'eplaces 
e(|uipment. 

Some  few  beek(M^pers 
practice  setting  freshly  ex- 


Fig.   'J;i.     I  lie    t'runce  lioncv  strainer   i.s 

cylindrical   and  will  fit  directly  into  the 

honev-tank. 


THE  HARVEST 


71 


tracted  supers  out  in  the  open  for  the  bees  to  clean  up  at 
will.  In  most  cases  this  is  veiy  objectionable  and  not  to  be 
rcconnnended.  Robbing  is  encouraged  and  danger  of  infection, 
should  any   foulbrood  be  present,  is  great. 

If  the  supers  are  to  be  replaced  after  the  last  flow  in  the 
fail,  when  the  weather  is  cool,  each  strong  colory  may  he 
given  four,  five  or  even  six  supers  to  clean  and  guard,  thus 
making  easier  work  in  removing  the  supers  later.  Several 
good  lieekeepers  do  not  replace  supers  after  the  last  extracting 
but  hold  them  until  needed  the  next  spring.  N.  E.  France  of 
Wisconsin  has  many  times  carried  such  wet  supers  through  the 
next  summer  and  states  that  they  are  much  less  likely  to 
be    injured    l)y    moth    than    the    dry    supers.      However,    an 


Fig.  24.     Tho  Dadaiit  slraiiicr  for  banc 


72  OUTAPIARIES 

object  ion  is  that  these  wet  supers  may  be  needed  before 
the  crop  the  following  sprino;,  for  increase  or  otherwise,  when 
the  dry  super  may  be  used  with  little  robl)irig  whereas  the  wet  one 
may  necessitate  ceasing  operations  in  a  whole  apiary.  There  may 
also  be  a  chance  of  honey  soni'iiig  in  the  wet  com))s.  if  any  fer- 
mentation is  present. 

Receptacles  for  the  Crop 

Sometimes  a  major  portion  of  the  honey  is  placed  in  cans  as 
fast  as  i(  comes  from  the  extractor,  though  it  is  evidently  only  a 
makeshift  way.  It  is  impossible  to  remove  all  impurities  in  so 
short  a  time  no  matter  how  careful  the  stramer.  But  the  apiary 
not  permanently  located,  w^here  all  work  is  done  with  a  portable 
outfit  cannot  install  settling  tanks  for  a  single  run,  neither  is  it 
advantageous  to  haul  the  honey  home  and  i-e-empty  it.  One 
prominent  Wisconsin  l3eekeeper,  however,  has  provided  himself 
with  a  number  of  large  size  milk  cans.  The  honey  is  strained 
into  these  at  the  outiipiary  and  transfen-ed  to  the  set  cling  tank 


^«vy 


ys^ 


wt» 


Fig.  25.     Large  settliiiji  taiik^  for  storing  hone.y,  previous  to  ilrawiug  into 
proper  receptacles. 


THE  HARVEST  73 

at  home  after  each  day's  run.     He  finds  the  phm  very  satis- 
factory. 

The  ideal  method,  of  course,  is  to  have  permanently  installed 
settlino-  tanks  and  enough  of  them  to  hold  the  extracting  urtil 
the  honey  is  well  settled.  This  can  best  be  done  with  the  central 
extracting  system  where  all  supers  are  handled  at  home.  It  is 
also  practiced  to  some  extent  with  permanent  outyards  where 
l)uildings  are  well  equipped.  The  Edson  Apiaries  in  California 
have  2  or  3  ton  settling  tanks.  The  honey  settles  over  night  and 
is  drawn  into  5  gallon  cans  the  next  morning  when  it  is  stored  in 
warehouses  at  the  station  nearest  the  outyard  at  which  they  are 
working. 

Honey  Knives 

The  steam-heated  hone>-  knife  has  won  its  way  to  favor  with 
a  large  majority  of  the  best  beekeepers.  Its  advantages  are  most 
marked  when  the  honev  is  thick,  the  weather  cool,  and  uncap- 
jiing  difficult.  It  c:ui  he  dispensed  with  when  extracting  is  done 
m  hot  weather  and  uncapping  is  comparatively  eas}'.  It  is  the 
thing  for  the  inexperienced  man,  while  it  may  be  used  onlv 
in  the  emergency  by  the  expert  with  the  cold  knife.  The  chief 
uncapper  for  the  Dadant  apiaries  made  a  record  of  uncapping 
solidly  sealed  combs  in  shaUow  frames  at  the  rate  of  1000  pound? 
of  honey  per  hour  on  a  half  day  run.  He  did  it  with  a  cold 
knife.  Yet  he  realizes  the  advantage  of  the  hot  knife  and  ncn-er 
neglects  to  have  it  along  for  the  emergency. 

Cappings  and  Capping  Melters 

Unfortunately  or.e  or  two  lai'ge  beekeepers  in  the  past  have 
recommended  the  use  of  barrels  for  cappings,  a  few  holes  lunng 
bored  in  the  barrel  for  honey  drainage  when  the  rest  of  the  mass 
would  be  hauled  home  for  disposition.  I  can  conceive  of  no  worse 
method  of  carmg  for  the  cappings  than  l)y  the  use  of  such  l)arrels 
or  cans.  I  have  in  mind  one  shipment  of  cappings  so  barrelled 
and  ."^ent  to  a  big  comb-i-endering  p'ant  to  be   melted  up.       Five 


74  Ol'TAPIAKIKS 

l)arrels  in  tlu^  shipiuent  wcijihed  in  liie  n('i<i,iil;()ili():)(l  of  l.'OO 
pounds.  At  least  two  thirds  of  this  was  honey,  yet  the  heekeeper 
by  his  methods  was  unable  to  get  out  more  honey,  and  the  rest 
was  to  he  wasted. 

Although  my  pi'eference  is  for  the  capping  can  or  capi)ing 
box,  a  large  number  of  the  best  beekeepers  would  not  work  with- 
out the  capping  melter  though  they  reahze  its  shoi't comings. 
Evident  it  is,  that  it  provides  the  easiest  and  quickest  methods 
of  disposing  of  the  cappmgs,  turning  them  on  the  spot  inlo  honey 
and  wax,  and  it  is  especially  valual)le  for  the  one  man  plant. 

Its  disadvantages  are  that  it  is  hot  to  work  over  in  summer, 
and  it  discolors  the  horey  and  injures  its  flavor,  since  it  is  impos- 
sible to  apply  sufficient-  heat  to  melt  the  wax  without  great  danger 
of  slightly  scorching  the  honey.  Mappings  from  oki  combs  in 
which  l)rood  has  been  reared,  melt  more  slowly  and  cause  the 
most  trouble  in  scorching.  Some  claim  that  this  small 
amount  of  discolored  honey  when  added  to  the  day's 
extracting  mixes  so  readily  as  to  be  unobserved  in  eithei-  color, 
taste  or  smell  by  any  observer.  We  are  inclined  to  doubt  this. 
The  essential  oils  from  the  bloom,  which  give  the  finest  flavoi', 
are  easily  evaporated.  Another  (riticism  of  the  inciter  is  that  it 
makes  added  eciuipment  when  used  in  connection  witli  the  port- 
able outfit.     It  would  woi'k  best  with  the  central  plant. 

Probably  one  of  the  chief  reasons  for  dislike  of  the  capping 
can  or  box  lies  in  the  fact  that  the  best  manner  of  procedure  is 
not  always  used.  Explaiiation  can  probably  be  given  by  describ- 
ing in  detail  tlu^  plan  used  in  the  l^adant  apiaries  which  is  used 
similaiiy  l)y  many  beekeepers. 

A  portable  extiacting  eciuipment  is  used  in  connection  with  a 
permanent  honey  hous(\and  in  this  (>quipm(Mit  is  included  a  24- 
incli  capping  can  capable  of  holding  usually  I  he  cappings  of  a  good 
day's  run.  Every  houi'  oi'  so  during  the  day,  time  (Miough  is  taken 
to  giv(^  these  cappings  a  tlioi'ough  stii'i'ing  aiid  bi-eaking  uj)  with 
a  strong  stick  so  that  the  honey  may  moi'e  reathly  drain.     Honey 


'Pill-:  HARVKST 


75 


drains  off  so  freely  that  it  has  to  he  cinpticd  I'rom  below  hoth 
noon  and  ni^lit  and  sometimes  oftenei'.  The  cappin^s  are  thei'c- 
t'oi'(>  jii'etty  well  drained  when  the  time  comes  to  load  for  home 
in  the  evening',  when  the  full  can  is  taken  along.  It  is  left  to  drain 
overnight.  In  the  morning  the  cappings  are  transferred  to  a 
larger  tank  with  ))ut  a  shallow  space  at  the  bottom  for  the  collec- 
tion  of  the  balance  of  the  honey.  When  the  end  of  the  season 
and  a  slack  time  come,  this  dried  mass  may  l)e  run  through  a 
nielter  if  desired.  The  cappings  of  the  1918  fall  extracting  in  the 
Dadant  a])iaries  from  11, ()()()  pounds  of  honey  were,  for  a  test, 
run  through  a  separating  can  and  melter  fashioned  after  those 
of  Sechrist  and  Crane.  Less  than  sixty  pounds  of  honey  were 
secured  from  the  wdiole  lot. 

P.  W.  Sowinski,  of  Michigan,  running  a  one  man  plant,  uses 
the  uncapping  box,  spreading  the  cappings  evenly  over  the  box 
during  the  day's  run.  At  evening  he  rolls  up  his  sleeves  and 
thoroughly  breaks  up  and  mixes  these  cappings  until  all  is  a  con- 
glomerated mass.  By  morning  the  cappings  are  practically 
drv. 


Fig.  26.     Box  arranged  for  holding  .supers  of  coinV)s  while  they  are  Ijeing 
sulphured  from  below. 


7G 


Or'I'APIAKIKS 


Danger  of  Moths 

With  varyiiij2;  crop  conditions  the  apiarist  may  have  iiives  and 
supers  of  combs  without  protection  of  bees  when  danger  of  moths 
comes.  All  such  should  be  watched  carefully  at  two  week  periods 
and  proper  methods  to  destroy  moths  applied,  should  they  be 
necessary.  The  worst  damage  comes,  naturally,  in  the  late  sum- 
mer, after  successive  broods  have  hatched  out  and  joined  forces. 
Carbon  disulphid  and  sulphur  are  both  used  with  success. 

Combs  which  have  been  without  projection  of  bees  dui'ing 
cold  weather,  in  Northerr,  States,  are  in  slight  danger,  if  properly 
closed  to  exclude  moths  when  warm  weather  arrives.     Those  on 


Fig.   27.      A   cyliiulrical    hDni'y-hou.se    made    especially   for   sturiiig   coniVjs 

by  hanginti  thcni  in  racks  so  the  moths  will  not  enter  them,  and  also  for 

using  sulphur  fumes.     Apiary  of  H.  C.  Cook  of  Omaha. 


Tin:  HAIJVEST  77 

which  l)ees  have  wintereil  will  have  to  be  watchetl  eairtully  from 
early  spring,  especially  those  of  colonies  that  have  died  in  early 
spring. 

One  beekeeper  so  built  his  honey  house  that  the  rafters  are 
spaced  for  hanging  combs  between  them.  Such  combs,  isolated 
and  exposed  to  the  light,  run  smail  chance  of  being  moth-eaten. 

Foulbrood 

Second  and  third  examinations  may  be  necessary  when  the 
locality  has  foulbrood.  European  foulbrood  should  largely  have 
disappeared  with  the  honey-flow  if  proper  steps  were  taken  at  its 
inception.  American  foulljrood  may  appear  at  any  time  and  the 
beekeeper  cannot  be  too  careful  in  searching  it  out.  A  diseased 
colony  detected  and  destroyed  or  treated  late  in  sunnner  or  fall 
may  save  many  in  the  spring. 

Requeening 

Probably  most  of  the  requeening  is  done  after  the  main  spring 
honey-flow.  It  is  desirable  to  carry  out  such  requeening  in  the 
outapiaiy  in  a  wholesale  manner  to  avoid  unnecessary  trips. 
Such  requeening  should  also  be  done,  where  possible,  during  a 
light  flow,  when  chances  of  successful  introduction  are  best. 

A-i  prominent  a  beekeeper  as  the  late  Wm.  ^NIcEvoy  practiced 
requeening  each  summer,  others  requeen  every  other  year,  while 
others  reciueen  only  when  absolutely  necessary,  leaving  it  to  the 
bees  generally  to  supersede  a  poor  queen  when  the  time  comes. 
More  and  more  the  tendency  is  to  requeen  at  least  every  othcn- 
year. 

\\  ith  the  desirability  of  a  full  colony  of  young  bees  for  winter- 
ing, requeening  should  be  completed  in  time  to  insure  it. 


CHAPTER  X 


FALL  AND  EARLY  WINTER 

If  the  beekeeper  has  been  forewarned,  he  will  have,  in  the 
summer,  taken  precautionary  measures  towards  getting  his  bees 
in  the  best  possil)le  shape  in  preparation  for  winter.  The  three 
prime  requisites  for  successful  wintering,  are: 

1.  Strong  Colonies  of  young  bees. 

2.  Plenty  of  healthful  stores. 

3.  Ample  protection  from  winds  and  cold. 

It  is  necessary  to  begin  preparations  for  the  fii'st  requisite 
ciuite  early  in  fall,  since  the  bees  must  be  reared  in  sufficient  tmie 
to  have  the  colony  strong  before  cooler  weather  sets  in.  Lacking 
a  honey  flow,  it  may  be  necessary  for  the  beekeeper  to  make  a 
tour  of  outyards,  feeding  stimulatively  to  imitate  a  flow,  so  that 
proper  breeding  will  take  place.  Inasmuch  as  young  queens 
usually  Ijreed  more  prolifically,  they  are  desirable. 

Lacking  good  natural  stores,  it  may  be  necessary  to  do  fall 
feediiig.  Not  a  sma^J  number  let  this  matter  go  till  too  late, 
instead  of  getting  colonies  heavy  with  honey  we'l  ahead  of  cold 
weather,  and  too  many  colonies  are  underfed,  resulting  m  dwind- 
ling in  spring  or. the  necessity  of  intermittent  feedings  in  early 
spring. 

Protection  from  the  Weather 

As  stated  previously  under  the  chapter  on  locating  apiaries, 
il  is  de^iralile  to  so  locate  the  ajjiary  that  the  contour  of  the  lard, 


80  OITAI'IAHIKS 

natural  forestry,  undcrgrowtli,  etc.,  may  help  in  breaking  the  force 
of  the  winds.  Artificial  win(l})reaks  for  the  apiary  as  a  whole 
may  also  be  used.  But  there  will  be  required,  in  all  northern 
climates  at  least,  additional  wind  and  cold  protection  for  the 
hives  mdividually,  and  such  protection  will  serve  to  good  purpose 
much  farth(n'  south  than  y(^t  practiced  by  many  beekeei^ers  in 
the  miidiM'  zones. 

Th(^  chai'acter  of  such  prot(>ction  foi-  the  outainary  will  be 
dependent  to  a  great  extent  on  three  things: 

1.  Locality  and  location. 

2.  P(M'manence  of  the  apiary. 

3.  Plan  of  operations. 

It  will  hardly  be  advisable  for  the  Southern  man  to  consider 
seriously  the  proper  conditions  for  cellar  wintering,  since  the 
amount  of  pi'otection  his  liees  need  will  not  warrant  cellar  winter- 
ing at  all.  So  with  wintering  in  the  North.  Some  localities  may 
be  out  of  range  of  the  hardest  and  coldest  winds.  They  may  he 
so  favored  that  the  weather  is  tempered,  allowing  an  occasional 
flight  durmg  wint(>r.  Others  may  be  winter-bound  for  months 
at  a  time,  so  that  either  cellar  winterirg  or  the  utmost  in  outdoor 
packing  will  be  absolutely  nec(>ssary.  To  this  extent  each  bee- 
keeper will  have  his  own  method  of  wmt(M-ing  to  study  out  as 
applicable  to  his  particular  locality. 

The  location  does  not  make  (luilt'  so  great  a  diffei'ence.  Yet 
it  is  easj^  to  conceive  a  barren  plain,  wind  swept,  which  will  ixniuire 
double  the  winter  protection  of  another  not  two  miles  ]-en)oved, 
but  in  a  small  valley  with  hills  and  l)rush  and  ti'ces  as  protection 
from  the  (Hrect  blasts  of  the  Nortli.  The  outapiarists  may  have 
considered  carefully  the  two  when  locating.  The  flora  of  the 
one  nui}^  more  than  overbalance^  th(>  disadvantages  of  the  other. 

Many  apiary  sites  are  retained  only  fi'om  one  year  to  anotlici-. 
Many  arrargements  for  ground  rental  can  be  made  l)ut  for  a  single 


FALL  AM)  KAHLY  \\  L\'I1<:K  81 

season.  It  would  he  the  iK^ijiht  of  folly,  under  such  conditions, 
to  l)ui]d  a  permanent  cellar  only  to  move  out  after  having  used  it 
one  season.  Yet  the  location  may  be  so  extraordinary  that  the 
beekeeper  may  desire  to  remain  and  winter  out-of-doors  in  the 
best  available  manner.  Possibly,  with  the  migratory  system,  it 
will  be  advisable  to  al^andon  the  large  winter  cases  as  too  cumber- 
some to  carry  here  and  there  with  the  changed  location. 

Where  the  location  is  owned  by  the  apiarist  with  the  likeli- 
hood of  his  remaining  over  a  series  of  years,  he  may  select  what  he 
considers  the  ideal  manner  of  protection. 

Yet  many  of  oiu"  outapiarists  have  grown  up  from  a  small 
beginning.  They  have  started  their  extended  beekeeping  with 
only  limited  capital.  One  may  be  able, for  a  few  years  at  least, 
to  winter  vmder  conditions  which  neither  he  nor  the  best  authori- 
ties deem  advisable.  It  may  be  to  his  advantage  to  evolve  a 
system  less  costly  until  a  time  when,  if  desirable,  he  can  afford 
the  capital  for  a  new  sj'stem  of  wintering  better  suited  to  the 
locality. 

IMoreover,  his  system,  even  if  he  is  fortunate  in  having  all  the 
cai)ital  desired,  may  demand  a  wintering  system  that  will  cor- 
respond. With  the  centrally  located  plant,  where  all  honey  is 
hauled  home  to  be  extracted,  it  will  not  be  advisable  to  build 
cellars  at  outyards  for  wintering,  when  the  building  is  required 
for  no  other  purpose. 


Outdoor  vs.  Cellar  Wintering 

It  is  very  difficult  to  define  specifically  just  where  cellar  winter- 
ing is  to  be  preferred  and  where  outdoor  wintering.  It  will  hardly 
do  to  indicate  zones  with  the  same  mean  temperatures  as  having 
the  same  conditions  applying  for  wintering  of  bees,  and  this 
because  the  wind  protection  of  the  two  may  not  be  the  same,  the 
humidity  may  be  different. 


82 


OUT  APIARIES 


Wo  all  know  that  the  two  shores  of  a  lake  may  be  entirely 
different  for  fruit  raising,  although  the  mean  tempei'ature  may  be 
the  same.  In  like  manner  elimatic  conditions  may  govern  the 
desirability  of  out-door  or  cellar  wintering.  Moderation  of  climate 
sufficient  to  allow  of  winter  flights  may  more  than  ofiVet  exti-a 
winter  protection  in  the  cellar. 

Roughly  we  may  state  that  where  your  bees  average  two  good 
flight  days  per  month,  with  no  confinement  of  over  six  weeks  dura- 
tion, out-of-door  wintering  is  to  be  preferred,  providing,  of  course 
that  proper  wird  protection  is  afforded. 

Certain  it  is  that  many  beekeepers  have  turned  from  cellar  to 
outdoor  wintering  not  because  their  locality  was  more  favorable 


Ym.  28.     Hives  wintering  close  togcthor,lthe_whole  wrapped  in  tar  paper, 


FAi.i.  AM)  i:ai;ly  winter 


S3 


to  the  latter,  l)ut  more  probably  Ijecause  theii' cellars  were  hukiiio; 
ill  some  essential. 

On  the  otluM'  hand,  outdoor  wintering  may  be  practiced  in  so 
many  tlifferent  forms  and  lend  itself  so  readily  to  the  variability 
of  the  beekeepers  themselves  that  it  is  no  wonder  that  it  is  chosen 
by  many  outapiarists  in  preference  to  the  less  elastic  cellar. 

Outdoor  Packing  Methods 

A  method  someiimes  fracticed  in  Colorado  and  other  sections 
with  similar  climatic  conditions  is  to  wrap  colonies  in  tarred  paper, 
strawboard  or  other  similiar  material.  A  ery  often  this  is  done 
by  first  getting  the  colonies  closely  together  in  a  long  row.  Prob- 
ably most  of  the  value  of  this  protection  comes  through  having 


Fig.  29.    An  apiary  of  chaff-packed  Protectiun  luvt-s. 


84  OUTAPIARIES 

the  hives  in  close  proximity,  though  the  paper  wrapping  has  some 
hfctle  effect  on  the  wind  and  serves  to  cover  undesirable  cracks  in 
hives  and  hive-covers.  It  is  better  than  no  packing  at  all — much 
better. 

Alfalfa  regions  seem  to  be  among  the  last  to  realize  the  import- 
ance of  winter  protection,  possibly  owing  to  the  fact  that  their 
main  honey  flow  comes  late  and  colonies  made  weak  by  winter, 
as  well  as  those  lost,  may  be  rebuilt  by  the  time  the  main  flow 
commences.  Then  too,  their  late  flow  insures  maximum  strength 
colonies  of  young  bees  to  withstand  the  winter.  Yet  the  percent- 
age of  loss  in  these  regions  seems  out  of  proportion  to  what  the 
extra  investment  for  winter  protection  would  be. 


Fig.   'M.     The  single  colony  packing  case  finds  many  advocates. 


PALL  AND  EARLY  WiNTfiR 


85 


In  many  sections  the  permanently  packed  hive  is  looked  upon 
with  favor.  It  has  the  advantage  of  recjuiring  no  extra  labor  for 
winter  protection  except  additional  packing  on  the  top.  J.  T. 
Dunn,  of  Ontario,  packs  his  double-walled  hive  with  cork  chips 
instead  of  the  usual  chaff,  and  reports  exceptional  success. 

Objections  advanced  to  it  are  that  it  is  cumbersome  to  move, 
and  heavy  to  lift.  It  only  has  two  inches  of  packing  all  around 
while  recommendations  are  usually  for  six  to  eight  inches.  Often 
no  provision  is  made  for  bottom  packing. 

Yet  in  regions  where  limited  packing  is  desired,  this  chaff- 
packed  hive  winters  with  success.  It  is  more  to  be  desired  where 
the  apiary  is  permanent  and  little  moving  necessar3^ 

Single  colony  outer  cases  have  the  advantage  that  they  usualh' 
provide  for  heavier  packing,  and  may  be  removed  when  desired. 
But  they  also  3ntail  added  equipment  for  the  outyard. 


Fig.  31.     The  quadruple  case  is  best  in  colder  latitudes  where  an  out-door 
wintering  system  is  desired. 


86 


OtTAPIARlES 


Four  Colony  Cases 

A  method  growing  in  favor  with  northern  beekeepei's  who  are 
so  situated  that  cehar  wintering  is  not  to  be  desired  is  the  four 
colony  case  recommended  by  the  Department  of  Agricultui'e. 
This  case  requires  the  arrangement  of  hives  in  groups  of  fovn- 
during  the  summer  so  that  the  case  may  be  placed  in  the  fall  with 
a  minimum  of  disturbance  to  the  bees.  It  provides  for  eight 
inches  or  more  of  packing  on  all  sides,  top  and  bottom,  while  the 
four  colonies  in  one  case  tend  to  conserve  the  heat.  In  regions 
where  bees  are  confined  to  their  hives  for  months  at  a  time,  or 
where  exposure  is  great,  this  manner  of  outdoor  wintering  can- 
not be  excelled. 


rig.  32.     A  pile  of  leaves  stacked  in  nets  preparatury  to  being  taken  to  the 
outapiary  for  winter  packing  by  the  Dadant  method. 


FALL  AND  EARLY  WINTER 


87 


The  Dadant  and  Similar  Systems 

Outapiarists  located  where  it  is  sufficiently  moderate  to  allow 
of  periodical  flights  during  winter  may  find  it  to  their  advantage 
to  use  a  system  similar  to  that  used  in  the  Dadant  apiaries. 

The  first  essential  is  abundant  and  cheap  packing  material. 
The  Dadant  apiaries  are  located  in  easy  reach  of  woods  sufficient 


Fifi.  33.     The  leaves  are  corded  on 


to  furnish  all  the  forest  leaves  desired  and  at  minimum  expense. 
Experiments  tend  to  show  that  this  packing  material  is  superior 
to  straw,  shavings  or  paper. 

Large  nets  about  six  feet  square  are  used  for  gathering  the 
leaves,  one  net  being  sufficient  for  packing  five  or  six  of  the  large 
Dadant  colonies.  Xets  sufficient  for  a  full  apiary  are  loaded  on  a 
large  truck  and  the  trip  to  the  outapiary  made. 


88 


OUTAPIARIES 


Fig.   o4. 


The  deep  telescope  caps 
ai'e  filled  with  leaves  and 
carefuU.y  replaced  after  first 
adjusting  the  straw  mat 
al)ove  to  the  cluster.  For 
liives  with  the  shallow  cover 
a  shallow  super  full  of  leaves 
is  added.  Two  men  pack 
and  replace  the  caps  while 
two  more  follow  and  pack 
the  hives  outside,  packing 
material  being  about  six  in- 
ches thick  andplaced  on  both 
sides  and  the  back,  leaving 
the  front,  facing  south,  ex- 
posed. For  holding  the 
packing  on  the  outside,  a 
frame  of  chicken  netting  is 
used.  These  nets  rise  to 
the  top  of  the  telescope 
caps  making  at  least  four  inches  of  packing  on  top  and  all  sides 
except  the  front. 

There  are  several  advantages  to  this  plan.  First,  the  equip- 
ment required  is  reduced  to  a  minimum;  rakes,  leaf  nets  and  pack- 
ing frames  being  all  that  is  needed  extra.  The  cost  of  packing 
is  light,  four  men  packing  an  apiary  of  ICO  colonies  in  a  day  besides 
raking  fresh  dry  leaves. 

In  a  locality  where  the  sun  is  sufficiently  warm  to  allow  of 
winter  flights,  the  front  of  the  hive  warms  up  and  induces  the 
l)ees  to  flight,  while,  if  they  were  heavily  packed  as  with  some 
other  systems,  the  interior  of  the  hive  would  hardly  feel  the  sun's 
heat  until  time  of  day  foi-  flight  was  passed.  In  the  vicinity  of 
Hamilton,  Illinois,  this  method  has  been  so  successful  and  the 
percentage  of  loss  so  small  that  it  seems  inadvisable  to  invest 
more  in  wintering  equipment  requiring  also  additional  labor. 
Naturally,  wherever  possible,  all  apiaries  are  given  the  best  advan- 
tage of  location  for  winter  protection. 


The  straw  mat  is  placed  next 
to  the  frames. 


FALL  AND  KARLY  WINTER 


80 


Fig.  So.     Placing  the  big  telescope  covers  on  the  hives  after  filling  them 

with  leaves. 


Cellar  Wintering  and  Cellars 

Protection  is  afforded  in  cellar  as  in  outdoor  wintering,  the 
difference  being  that  the  outside  protection  in  one  case  is  placed 
around  the  whole  apiary  while  in  the  other  it  is  around  a  single 
colony,  two  colonies,  or  fom-  or  more,  as  the  case  may  be. 

The  same  safeguards  for  wintei-  protection  are  to  be  observed 
as  in  outdoor  wintering.  But  there  are  added  precautions  to  be 
taken  in  the  cellar  since  the  bees  are  confined  dining  the  whole 
of  the  winter.  They  will  have  no  chances  for  flight  and  clianges 
of  temperature  and  extreme  variations  in  ventilation,  moisture, 
etc.,  have  a  greater  bearing. 


90 


OUTAPIAlllES 


I'ig.  -Mi.     The  completely  jiucked  hive. 


A  temperature  of  from  45  to  52  degrees  is  generally  regarded 
as  the  best  in  cellar  wintering,  and  this  should  l^e  kept  as  even  as 
possible  duriiig  the  whole  wintei-.  A  colder  temperature  will 
necessitate  greater  ventilation  while  a  much  higher  one  may 
hasten  brood  rearing  and  induce  activity  by  spring  that  will  miti- 
gate the  chance  of  the  bees  surviving  (he  winter,  (icnerally  bees 
wmter  best  in  th(^  cellar  at  a  temperature  which  will  keep  them 
quietest.  A  low  temperature  will  recjuire  more  activity  to  keep 
up  the  warmth  of  the  cluster.  Have  a  thermomcler  in  the  cellar, 
find  the  degree  at  which  tlic  bees  are  quietest,  and  keep  it  at  that. 


FALL  AND  EARLY  WIXTI^R 


91 


III    mnny   celiars,    perhaiis   sufficient    ventilation    is   afforded 
throiiiiii  devices  swept  by  the  wind  or  through  the  opening  and 


Fig.  37.     One  of  the  France  bee-cellars  in  Wisconsin. 


closing  of  entrances  into  the  cellar.  More  ventilation,  as  stated 
above,  will  be  necessary  when  the  temperature  becomes  lower, 
requiring  activity  on  the  part  of  the  bees.  It  is  well  to  arrange 
a  ventilator  for  the  cellar  but  this  need  not  be  over  6x6  inches 
and  should  be  shielded  at  the  top  to  avoid  light  in  the  repository. 
H.  H.  Selwyn  of  Ontario  has  had  good  success  with  such  a  venti- 
lator. He  has,  in  addition,  a  sub-ventilator  comirg  through  the 
floor.  This  pipe  extends  from  the  intake  for  sixty  feet  under 
ground  before  reaching  the  cellar.  In  this  way  the  air  is  tempered. 
No  doubt  also  that  this  constant  stream  of  earth-tempered  air 
has  its  effect  in  maintaining  the  temperature  of  the  cellar  at  the 
same  degree,  thus  combining  the  desirabilities  of  temperature  and 


S^  OLTAI'IAKIIl!^ 

ventilation.  One  beekeeper  with  the  same  system  of  ventilators 
has  installed  an  electrically  operated  fan  in  the  upper  ventilator 
so  that  with  any  variation  inside  the  fan  pumps  the  air  out  and 
draws  the  fresh  air  in  to  take  its  place  till  the  temperature  again 
becomes  normal. 

Usually  cellars  are  built  of  a  height  from  5|  to  7  feet.  In 
figuring  the  amount  of  air  space  to  be  allowed,  there  should  be 
at  least  twelve  cubic  feet  for  each  colony  and  two  or  three  times 
this  amount  is  desirable. 

Probably  a  room  partitioned  in  a  house  cellar  which  is  heated 
by  furnace  is  as  good  a  repository  as  can  be  had.  It  is  usually 
dry,  of  even  temperature,  and  allows  readily  of  good  ventilation 
either  through  the  upward  draft  of  air  or  through  communication 
with  the  rest  of  the  cellar.  But  the  outapiarist  will  hardly  have 
a  home  cellar  large  enough  to  accommodate  all  his  bees,  nor  will 
the  houses  at  his  outyards  be  so  located  that  he  will  be  able  to 
take  advantage  of  them. 

A  few  years  ago,  not  a  few  beekeepers  practiced  keeping  their 
bees  in  clamps.  The  expense  of  these  is  small  and  they  are  espec- 
ially suited  to  the  out\'ard  which  is  not  permanent  and  in  a  location 
where  outdoor  wintering  is  not  feasible.  Yet  it  takes  a  peculiar 
soil  to  be  suited  to  wintering  in  clamps  and  we  can  hardly  recom- 
mend this  method  as  worth}-  of  trial  by  the  outyard  beekeepers. 
There  are  too  many  failures. 

Edward  G.  Brown,  in  western  Iowa,  winters  all  of  his  out- 
yards in  temporary  cellars  which  he  says  can  be  made  at  a  cost 
of  from  25  to  50  dollars.  Mr.  Brown  is  located  where  the  soil 
stands  up  extremely  well  under  all  conditions.  When  he  builds 
a  cellar  he  sets  four  posts  at  the  four  corners,  having  them  over 
four  feet  in  the  ground  so  they  will  go  below  the  floor  of  the  cellar. 
They  stick  above  ground  two  feet,  and  the  two  feet  above  ground 
is  boarded  up  to  hold  the  dirt  as  it  is  thrown  from  the  inside  in 
excp,vating.  The  enclosure  is  now  dug  to  a  depth  of  four  feet, 
the  dirt  thrown  out  against  the  boards  adding  the  extra  two  feet 


f^ALL  AND  EARLY  WINTER 


93 


Fig.  38.     Apiary  of  Edward  G.  Erown  in  tlie  swL'ct  clover   belt  of  Western 
Iowa.     Notice  the  cheap,  under-earth  cellar  in  the  background. 

in  depth,  making  six  in  all.  A  board  ceiling  is  made  and  a  roof 
placed  over  all,  the  space  between  being  filled  with  some  good 
packing  material.  Mr.  Brown  states  that  he  winters  with 
only  one  to  two  per  cent  loss  and  the  cellar  is  usually  good  for 
from  three  to  five  seasons. 

If  the  beekeeper  has  a  reasonably  permanent  situation  it  will 
be  to  his  advantage  to  build  a  permanent  cellar. 


This  is  usually  built  in  connection  with  the  honey-house  one 
roof  furnishing  shelter  for  the  two.  In  the  France  apiaries,  in 
Wisconsin,  the  cellars  under  the  houses  are  used  in  the  summer 
for  honey  tanks  and  receptacles.  Thus  the  honey  is  run  by  gravity 
directly  from  the  extractor  without  double  handling. 


94  OUTAPIARIES 

In  such  cellars  the  walls  are  l)iiilt  of  cement  or  stone  and  the 
ceilings  ma.y  be  plastered.  Unless  the  chainage  is  especially  good, 
it  will  hardly  be  feasible  to  leave  a  dirt  floor,  cement  lieing  much 
better,  unless  the  cellar  is  very  diy. 

Some  few  large  beekeepers  with  central  plants  provide  for 
wintering  all   of  their  bees   in   a   central   repository'. 


CHAPTER  XI 


MOVING  BEES 


With  modern  methods  for  moving  bees  it  is  possible  to  trans- 
port them  in  ahnost  any  kind  of  weather  and  at  all  seasons  of  the 
year.     Yet  it  is  generally  preferable  not  to  move  during  late  fall 


f  l^lfl 

•  1  i*  fiJlHrB^iii'^ffi 

m  iiL^^fit^^ '  w  »^ 

.«^|^ 

^^j 

^^m 

HBB 

^       WKKK^^tKtK^^^^^^^ 

IHIe^^^S 

■^■^^ 

Fig.  39.     Hives  screened  for  moving  in  hot  weather. 
95 


96  OUTAPlAini<:S 

or  winter  when  the  bees  may  not  have  a  chance  for  a  cleansing 
flight  before  the  winter  period.  Nor  is  it  generally  advisable  to 
move  during  the  hottest  weather,  nor  when  hives  are  heavy  with 
honey.  This  will  avoid  smothering  of  bees  and  breakage  or  melt- 
ing down  of  combs. 

Ideal  conditions  for  moving  are  to  have  colonies  light  in  stores, 
fairly  light  in  brood,  thvis  giving  chance  for  be.st  ventilation.  Cool 
weather,  in  early  or  late  spring,  when  bees  hardly  fly,  is  best. 
If  the  weather  is  hot,  take  advantage  of  the  cool  of  night  to  move. 

It  is  imperative  that  all  hives  be  perfectly  tight  at  the  joints 
and  well  nailed  so  that  there  may  be  no  leakage  of  bees.  Even 
then  it  is  no  uncommon  occurrence  to  have  bees  come  out  from 
some  partly  concealed  knot-hole  or  partially  rotted  bottom-board. 
A  package  of  coarse  absorbent  cotton  will  answer  well  for  such  an 
emergency.  It  will  not  only  quickly  stop  the  leak  but  has  the 
effect  of  repelling  the  bees.  Wet  clay  may  be  used  in  an  emer- 
gency. 

For  moving,  the  hives  should  l:)e  closed  when  all  field  bees 
are  at  home  so  as  to  have  no  loss.  This  can  be  done  in  the  evening 
or  early  morning. 

Use  care  in  hauling  not  to  jar  or  jerk  the  hives  any  more  than 
can  be  possiljly  hel})ed.  Avoid  all  excitement  or  heat  to  the  liees, 
especially  at  the  start  of  the  haul.  For  overland  hauling,  hives 
should  be  loaded  with  the  frames  running  crosswise  of  the  wagon 
or  truck;  on  railroad  cars,  lengthwise. 

If  it  is  necessary  to  haul  with  wagons  and  horses,  too  nuicli 
caution  against  having  trouble  with  escaping  bees  and  conseciuent 
stinging  cannot  be  taken.  Inunediately  any  trouble  is  en- 
countered, teams  should  l)e  unhooked  and  gotten  away  from  the 
angry  bees  until  all  is  cjuiet. 


MOVING  BEES  97 

Moving  Short  Distances 

It  may  be  necessary  to  change  location  of  the  outyard  only 
a  small  distaLce,  say  a  few  hundred  yards.  This  can  be  done 
very  niceh^  in  the  evening  or  early  morning,  takmg  care  to  handle 
all  as  carefully  as  possible,  and  it  may  not  be  necessary  even  to 
close  the  entrances. 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind,  however,  that  many  bees,  unless 
precautions  are  taken,  may  take  flight  without  noticing  the  change 
in  location,  and  on  returning,  go  back  to  the  old  location  and  be 
lost.  To  avoid  this  the  shade  board  or  other  suitable  board  may 
be  leaned  in  front  of  the  entrance  that  outgoing  bees  may 
notice  the  change  of  location  at  once  and  mark  it,  similarly  to 
the  manner  in  which  young  bees  mark  their  home  when  making 
their  first  flights  from  the  hive. 

Even  with  these  precautions  some  bees  may  return  to  the  old 
location.  These  maj^  be  saved  by  leaving  one  or  two  weak  colonies 
for  a  few  days  at  the  old  location  to  catch  the  drifting  bees  as 
they  return. 

Moving  a  Few  Miles 

If  the  weather  be  cool  and  the  bees  can  be  transported  to  the 
new  location  in  a  very  short  time,  it  maj''  not  be  necessaiy  to  pro- 
vide special  ventilation  during  the  haul;  the  hives  may  be  closed, 
entrances  and  all.  But  it  is  better  to  err  on  the  side  of  too  much 
ventilation  than  too  little.  The  hauling  at  evening  or  in  the 
early  morning,  to  take  advantage  of  lower  temperature,  will 
help. 

Very  often  beekeepers,  in  such  moving,  provide  clustering 
room  by  placing  an  empty  super  above  each  brood  chamber, 
into  which  the  bees  can  cluster,  thus  relieving  the  congestion  on 
the  combs  below.  Some  combine  this  with  a  screened  entrance 
while  still  others  would  not  attempt  to  move  even  a  short  dis- 
tance without  a  part  of  the  top  of  the  hive  screened,     A  screened 


98 


OUT  APIARIES 


Fig.  40.     Moving  an  apiary  75  miles  by  auto  truck. 


Fig.  41.     How  one  California  queen-breeder  moves  his  outfit  to  a   new 

location. 


MOVINGIBEES 


99 


entrance  is  objectionable  as  the  old  bees,  accustomed  to  %  out 
through  it,  worry  themselves  to  death  before  it. 

When  releasing  the  bees  at  the  end  of  the  haul,  it  may  be 
wise  to  allow  them  to  l^ecome  quiet  before  opening.  At  anj^  rate 
it  will  be  well  to  have  the  smoker  handy  to  prevent  an  excited 
rush  from  the  entrance  with  consequent  confusion,  drifting  of 
bees,  etc. 

The  Long  Haul 

Probably  a  large  proportion  of  the  moving  trips  of  the  out- 
apiarist  will  be  over  a  distance  of  from  ten  to  fift}^  miles,  either 
in  the  establishment  of  a  new  yard  or  in  moving  an  apiar}-  to  new 
pastures  by  the  migratory-  plan  already  mentioned.  The  colonies 
may  have  to  be  moved  when  heavy  ^vith  honej'  or  brood,  or  when 
the  weather  is  very  hot. 

In  such  instances  it  is  well  nigh  indispensable  to  provide  clus- 
tering room  and  ventilation  for  the  trip  by  having  the  whole  of 


Fig.  42.     The  truck  is  fast  replacing  the  slower  wagon,  for  moving   bees. 


100 


OUTAPIARIES 


Fig.  43. 


Where  the  haul  is  short  and  the  weather  cool,  colonies  may  be 
moved  with  the  covers  on. 


the  top  of  the  hive  screened,  the  moving  screen  being  two  or  more 
inches  deep,  with  proper  re-inforcements  over  the  top  to  prevent 
breakage.  In  rare  instances  the  bottom-boards  may  be  removed 
and  the  bottoms  of  tlie  hives  screened  also. 

It  may  be  necessary  to  give  the  Ijees  water  during  the  haul, 
should  they  become  excited.  Water  is  needed  onl>-  when  they 
have  3'oimg  brood. 

The  up-to-date  migrator}'  beekeeper  provides  himself  with 
moving  screens,  tight  hives,  and  suitable  hauling  conveyances  to 
take  best  care  of  the  number  of  colonies  he  proposes  to  move. 
Edson  Brothers  of  California,  as  an  example,  operate  2500  colonies 


MOVING  BEES 


101 


of  bees  practical!}-  all  of  which  arc  moved  to  the  orange  and  the 
l)ean  fields  for  these  flows.  They  have  a  four  ton  truck  with  a 
capacity  of  a  whole  yard  of  100  colonies,  movine;  screens  and  all. 
Thus  the}'  care  for  a  unit  of  one  apiary  at  a  triji.  Their  moving 
is  done  in  the  night. 


Rail  Shipments 

As  in  the  long  overland  haul,  ample  ventilation  should  be 
provided.  The  trip  is  apt  to  be  prolonged  by  delays.  Hives 
should  be  loaded  with  frames  running  in  the  same  direction  as 
the  rails  as  much  of  the  jarring  comes  from  starting  and  stopping 
of  trains  and  switching. 


Fig.  4-i.     ''Old  f^ally, "  a  seemingly  indestructible  car  in  the  Dadant  out- 
apiary  system,  seeing  service  in  moving  bees  a  short  distance. 


102  OtJTAPIARlES 

Colonies  should  usually  be  loaded  so  that  it  may  be  possible 
to  inspect  any  colony  at  an}-  time,  and  one  or  two  barrels  of  water 
should  be  provided  in  case  of  necessity. 

A  thing  most  often  neglected  in  shipping  cars  of  bees  is  the 
bracing  of  the  hives  sufficiently  to  prevent  janmiing,  with  con- 
sequent loosening  of  joints,  leakage  of  bees  and  excitement. 

Probably  only  a  small  proportion  of  outapiarists  will  have 
more  than  a  rare  experience  in  moving  bees  bj'  this  method,  yet 
there  are  locations  where  it  may  be  advisable  to  move  long  dis- 
tances to  reach  new  and  heavy  flows.  This  is  done  by  some  of 
California's  best  beekeepers  who  go  to  the  alfalfa  regions  of  Nevada 
and  Utah  each  vear. 


CHAPTER  XII 


AUTOMOBILES  AND  TRUCKS 

The  automobile  has  done  more  than  any  other  one  thing  to 
revohitionize  outapiary  beekeepmg.  Its  adaptabiUty  to  exten- 
sive Ijeekeeping  is  self-evident.  It  furnishes  a  quick  mode  of 
travel  from  one  apiary  to  another,  it  travels  in  the  heat  as  well 
as  in  cooler  weather,  it  removes  the  danj2oi'  of  stings  to  horses 


5' 


Fig.  45.     A  light  i)le;isvue  car  with  comnnKhDUs  bo.x  on  tht^  iviiv  is  a  prime 

requisite  in  the  small  outapiary^system. 

Miss  ^lathilda  Candler  of  ^^  isconsin. 


103 


104  OUTAPIAIUES 

when  used  in  the  apiary.  The  Dadants  succeed  in  moving  500 
colonies,  with  trucks,  nowada.ys,  more  readily  than  the  elder  Dadant 
succeeded  in  moving  100  colonies  in  1880  on  hay-racks. 

Then,  too,  motive  power  is  necessary  during  only  a  fraction 
of  the  year  for  outapiary  work.     The  car  may  be  put  away  for 

the  balance  of  the  year  with  a  mininiuni  amount  of  upkeep. 

It  is  often  necessary  to  remain  at  the  outyard  till  late  in  the 
evening  to  replace  wet  supers,  etc.  The  use  of  the  automobile 
shortens  the  hours  of  the  apiarist. 

Modern  beekeeping  may  call  for  man}^  moves  of  colonies  or 
eciuipment.  These  are  transported  with  the  least  jar  and  in  the 
least  time  by  the  auto  truck. 

Type  of  Car  to  Use 

Pleasure  cars  are  most  generally  used  by  the  beekeepers,  either 
in  their  original  form  or  improved  by  the  addition  of  a  box  or 
bed  at  the  back  to  facilitate  the  hauling  of  supers,  extracting 
equipment  and  other  apiary  supplies.  Not  a  few  are  later  con- 
verted into  light  trucks  to  suit  the  expanding  needs  of  the  apiarist. 

The  light  pleasure  car  has  the  advantage  of  being  faster,  of 
costing  less  for  running  and  for  upkeep.  Yet  it  has  its  limits. 
Other  provisions  would  have  to  be  made  l)y  the  beekeeper  for 
hauling  honey  home  from  extracting  houses,  for  hauling  bees  and 
other  heav3'  equipment. 

The  question  resolves  itself  into  just  what  style  of  car  is  cheap- 
est and  yet  will  adapt  itself  most  readily  to  the  system  of  each 
individual  beekeeper.  Depreciation,  ui)keep,  mtercst  on  the  in- 
vestment, mileage  costs,  and  time  on  the  road  are  all  to  ])C  con- 
sidered. 

For  instance,  a  heavy  two  or  three  ton  truck  would  be  unex- 
celled for  hauling  large  loads  of  honey,  l)ut  the  depreciation  of 


AUTOMOBILES  AXD  TRUCKS 


105 


Fig.  46.     A  big  three  ton  truck  hauling  reach'  cased  honey  in  California. 


a  82500.00  machine  carried  over  a  period  of  ten  j'ears  would 
amount  to  at  least  S250.00  per  year  and  interest  on  the  investment 
would  add  another  8150.00  making  a  yearly  cost  of  8400.00  not 
to  mention  running  and  upkeep  costs  which  would  be  much  greater 
on  the  larger  machine. 

^^'ould  it  not  be  more  economical  to  use  the  smaller  truck 
to  reduce  costs,  or  even  a  light  deUvery  car  and  have  the  heavy 
hauling  done  by  hired  machines?  Evidently  it  would  be  unless 
the  apiary  system  were  large  enough  to  warrant  the  extra  expense. 

The  light  car  or  converted  machine  would  be  most  economical 
with  a  system  of  four  or  less  apiaries.  For  five  or  more,  the 
light  truck  with  a  capacity  of  one  ton  might  be  best,  while  with 
the  larger  s^'stems  a  heavy  truck  would  in  all  likelihood  prove 
worth  its  extra  cost.  But  the  large  truck,  if  hauling  bees  to  any 
extent,   would   be  improved   with   pneiunatic   tires   throughout. 


106 


OUTAPIARIES 


Fig.  47.     ^J'railcr  pulled  by  a  pleasure  car,  bringin<2;  in  a  Inad  of  cunil)  honey 

in  cases. 


J'ig.  IS.     Another  type  of  trailer  often  encountered. 


AUTOMOBILES  AND  TrUCIvS 


107 


With  the  large  tiuck  also,,  a  small  dclivciy  car  for  ordiruuy  trips 
would  be  a  necessity. 

In  the  central  plant  s^'stcni,  a  truck  of  some  description  is 
a  necessity,  as  it  is  in  migrator}'  beekeeping  practiced  regularly. 
iNIorle}'  Pettit,  of  Ontario,  furnishes  an  example  of  the  former, 
using  a  one-ton  Ford  truck.  Edson  Brothers  of  Cahfornia  are 
instances  of  the  latter,  having  a  four  ton  truck  for  their  2,500 
colonies.     With  this  number,  the  larger  truck  should  pay. 

The  tendency  seems  to  be  towards  a  truck  of  a  capacity  of 
from  one  to  two  tons,  as  the  Ford,  Dodge,  Hght  Republic,  or 
similar  car. 

Trailers 

Not  a  few  beekeepers  provide  themselves  with  trailers  to  be 
attached  to  the  regular  highly  geared  car,  for  emergency  in  super 
hauling,  moving  of  bees,  etc.     For  the  occasional  light  haul  this 


Fig.  49.     For  transporting  bees,  there  is  nothing  better  than  the  launch. 


108  OUTAPIARIES 

will  do,  ])iit  it  is  hardly  satisfactoiy  foi'  nnicli  heavy  hauhng  or 
daily  work.  The  chances  of  trouMc  i'loiii  overloading  and  break- 
ing down  are  too  great. 

Launches 

Where  streams  are  available^  the  launch  fuiiiishes  the  ideal 
method  of  transportation,  though  it  is  slower  than  the  automobile 
in  good  weather  and  on  good  roads. 

Lamu'hes  are  especially  desirable,  since  there  is  practically 
no  jar  while  moving  and  losses  are  brought  to  a  minmium. 

This  method  of  handhng  ou<:yards  is  popular  in  the  swampy 
regions  of  Florida.  It  is  there  almost  the  only  means  available 
and  bees  are  placed  on  scaffolds  raised  above  high  water  mark. 

Motorcycles 

Not  a  few  Ijeekeepers,  of  the  East  especially,  have  found  it 
advantageous  to  use  motorcycles,  having  all  other  hauhng  done 
by  hired  vehicles.  This  is  to  be  recommeiided  where  the  apiarist 
lives  in  the  city  and  has  another  occupation  during  the  winter 
months,  with  no  use  for  automobile  or  truck  during  eight  months 
of  the  year. 

L.  F.  Howden  of  New  York  estimated  that  his  motorcycle 
will  carry  him  100  miles  on  |  gallon  of  gasoline.  It  will  carry 
fifty  pounds  of  equipment  with  ease,  and  this  is  all  that  is  neces- 
sary for  most  of  the  trips.  The  investment  is  smah,  and  upkeep 
insignificant,  compared  with  the  .arger  machine  or  truck. 


CHAPTER  XIII 


HONEY-HOUSES  AND  EQUIPMENT 

In  no  part  of  the  equipment  of  tlie  outapiarist  is  there  such 
a  wide  range  of  difference  as  in  the  style  of  honey-house  used. 
This  is  due,  not  only  to  the  system  practiced  by  the  heekeeper, 
luit  also  to  his  financial  condition,  and  to  the  buildings  which 
might   have  been  available  when  each  apiary  was  established. 

Yet  we  may  say  that  the  requirements  for  a  honey-house,  in 
almost  all  instances,  are  the  same  with  the  same  system,  the 
difference  in  houses  coming  from  the  fact  that  many  apiai'ists 
do  without  certain  conveniences  or  requirements  for  one  reason 
or  another. 


Requirements 

The  ideal  bee-house  should  be  large  enough  to  care  for  all 
operations  and  extra  equipment  of  the  apiary  at  its  maximum. 
Nine-tenths  of  the  houses  built  are  outgrown  in  the  course  of  a 
few  years,  with  the  result  that  the  apiarist  hesitates  to  rebuild 
and  does  with  the  little  room  to  the  detriment  of  his  work. 

The  usual  mistake  is  to  make  the  side-walls  of  the  house  too 
shallow.  Extracting  supers  can  be  piled  to  a  height  of  fifteen 
shallow  supers  as  wed  as  ten;  so  the  distance  to  the  eaves  may 
be  nine  feet  as  well  as  six  or  seven. 

If  the  house  is  l)ut  one  story  high,  with  a  gable  roof,  consider- 
able storing  space  for  little  used  articles  should  be  provided  under 
the  gables  and  above  ordinary  reaching  height.  Light  articles 
such  as  extra  frames,  empty  supers,  etc.,  may  be  well  stored  there. 

109 


lU)  OUTAPI  ARIES 

Coggsliall  of  New  York,  writing  many  years  ago,  advised  making 
the  outyard  house  double  the  capacity  figured  as  sufficient  for 
the  beekeeper's  needs. 

Another  mistake  too  often  made  is  in  not  making  the  house 
strong  enough  to  stand  the  jar  of  the  extractor  or  the  weight  of 
such  honey  as  may  be  stored  within  the  l)uilding.  Concrete 
floors  are  desirable,  but  should  be  placed  high  enough,  when 
building,  so  that  they  will  be  above  the  surrounding  ground,  else 
the  drainage  will  be  towards  the  house  rather  than  away  from  it. 

The  house  should  be  bee-tight  and  mouse  proof.  There  is 
nothing  more  annoying  nor  more  apt  to  make  angry  bees  and 
trouble  than  a  leaky  house  during  a  honey  dearth  or  at  extracting 
time.  The  ordinary  carpenter  does  not  realize  the  value  of  such 
a  point  to  the  beekeeper  and  will  almost  invariably  neglect  to 
make  all  tight  around  the  eaves,  along  the  joists  of  the  floor,  or 
the  lumber  he  uses  may  shrink  enough  to  leave  cracks  for  bees. 

A  very  good  way  to  avoid  trouble  is  to  cover  the  framework 
of  the  house  entirely  with  tarred  paper  before  putting  on  the 
siding,  floor,  or  roof.  Tar  is  obnoxious  to  bees  and  they  will 
hesitate  to  enter  where  a  tar  smell  is  predominant. 

Mice  are  an  aggravation,  but  are  easily  disposed  of.  Certain 
it  is  that  extracting  supers  should  be  mouse  proof,  or  the  loss 
from  eaten  and  damaged  combs  may  b(»  considerable. 

Windows  in  the  modern  house  are  a  necessity.  These  should 
be  made  to  slide  sideways  so  as  not  to  trap  bees,  and  openings 
should  ])e  covered  with  screen  which  will  allow  the  bees  to  go  out 
at  the  top,  while  preventing  their  rc-cntrance.  The  usual  plan 
is  to  extend  the  screen  for  two  feet  above  the  top  of  the  window. 
The  bees  will  reatlil}'  run  up  but  will  seldom  find  their  way  down 
such  a  long  distance.  Honey-house  escapes  are  used  much  in 
connection  with  window  openings. 

Many  beekeepers  think  it  a  mistake  to  let  bees  out  before  the 
end  of  the  day's  work,  since  it  is  apt  to  draw  more  robbers  around 


HONEY-HOUSES  AND  EQUIPMENT 


111 


Fig.  50. 


Eees  clustering  around  a  screened  window,  trying  to  get  to  the 
sweets  inside. 


the  house.  They  have  window  screens  closed  during  the  day 
to  be  readily  opened  at  evening  to  let  out  the  accumulation  of 
bees. 

It  is  hardly  desirable  to  have  a  screened  door.  The  bees  will 
congregate  there  at  each  trip  that  we  make  with  honey.  If  a 
screened  door  is  desired  it  should  be  made  in  the  form  of  an  entry 


112 


OUTAPIARIES 


Fig.  51.     Screened  entry  to  the  honey-house  that  will  keep  the  bees  out. 

as  shown  in  the  accompanying-  cut.  Most  of  the  bees  lose  them- 
selves between  the  two  doors  and  are  trapped  in  the  entry  to  run 
out  at  openings  in  the  screen  at  the  top. 

Make  youi'  honey-house  door  wide.  If  barrels  are  used  for 
for  honey  storage  the  house  door  should  be  large  enough  (o  pass 
the  barrel  without  shunting  it  back  and  forth,  or  standing  it  on 
end.  Wheelbarrows,  hand-barrows,  large  extractors  and  other 
equipnuMit  should  pass  through  readily. 

Location  of  the  House 


The  honey-house  should  l)e  located  as  handy  to  the  apiary  as 
possible.  If  on  a  slojie,  it  should  be  slightly  lielow  the  apiary 
to  make  for  ease  in  hauling  full  supers  of  honey  down.     ( )iilinarily 


HOXF.Y-TTOUSES  AND  EQUIPMENT 


113 


li^ 


A  temporarj'  house  in  use  in  a  Texas  apiary  system. 


it  will  be  handiest  at  the  side  of  the  apiary,  or  at  the  back,  rather 
than  in  the  center  or  in  front,  and  doors  should  be  so  located  as 
to  give  best  results  both  for  hauling  in  from  the  apiary  and  for 
loading  and  hauling  honey  away. 

Types  of  Houses 

Where  a  fairly  good  building  is  available  it  will  hardly  be 
necessary  to  build  specially.  When  comb  honey  is  raised  or  if 
extracting  is  done  centrally,  it  wi.l  only  be  necessary  to  have  a 
house  large  enough  for  storage.  In  fact  many  apiaries  are  handled 
without  any  honey  house  at  all.  In  the  migratory  system 
this  is  the  rule  rather  than  the  exception.  Yet  some  sort  of  a 
shelter  should  be  provided  for  extra  equipment  if  it  is  to  be  left 
out  for  any  length  of  time. 

Temporary  Houses 
The  temporary  cloth  house  is  used  by  many  where  the  apiary 
is  located  only  for  a  short  time.     Many  years  ago,  in  the  France 


114  OUTAPIARIES 

apiaries,  such  houses  were  used.  These  were  put  up  at  the  time 
of  extracting  and  were  taken  down  and  removed  to  the  next  apiary 
as  fast  as  the  crew  extracted.  In  this  case  rough  shelter  was 
provided  for  extra  equipment  the  year  around.  The  Frances 
have  since  changed  their  methods  because  they  now  have  per- 
manent yards,  and  permanent  houses  were  built  in  connection. 

W.  L.  Chambers,  of  Arizona,  has  been  another  extensive  user 
of  the  temporary  cheese  cloth  shelter  for  extracting.  These 
houses  may  be  made  large  to  allow  ample  room  for  extracting, 
since  their  cost  is  small  and  the  labor  in  setting  up,  insignificant. 

Temporary  extracting  rooms  in  the  form  of  tents  are  much 
used.  They  are  a  makeshift,  being  hot  in  summer  and  not  bee- 
proof. 

The  Portable  House 

Since  the  earliest  days  of  outyard  beekeeping,  portable  out- 
fits, mounted  on  heavy  wagons  or  drays,  have  been  used.  In 
these,  space  is  conserved  as  much  as  possible,  and  only  necessary 
equipment  for  extracting  is  carried.  One  description  calls  for 
a  bed  4  feet  wide  and  12  feet  long,  a  rather  small  extracting 
room.  In  such,  naturally,  honey  storage  receptacles  are  outside 
the  house  and  supers  are  removed  as  fast  as  extracted,  either  to 
be  replaced  on  the  hives  or  piled  uj)  and  covered. 

The  big  truck  has  made  a  change  in  construction  of  these 
portable  outfits.  They  are  now  lai'ge  enough  to  house  the  modern 
extracting  equipment  and  the  powci-  of  the  truck  is  sufficient  to 
haul  the  most  complex  equipment  desirable. 

These  portable  extracting  outfits  mounted  on  auto-trucks  are 
very  popular  in  the  West  and  moic  (^specially  in  California  where 
migratory  beekeeping  is  practiced,  and  where  the  same  location 
may  not  be  desired  two  years  in  succession. 

Sectional  Houses 

Several  Michigan  beekeepers  and  others  use  sectional  houses 
for  apiaries  which  are  fairly  i:)ermanent,  where  it  may  be  neces- 


HONEY-HOUSES  AND  EQtJIlWlENT 


115 


116 


onAPlAKlES 


Fig.  54.  Honey-house  built  so  that  it  may  be  readily  cut  apart  into  sections 
and  removed.  Where  the  cut  is  to  be  made,  rafters  or  studding  are  placed 
within  an  inch  of  each  other  and  holes  bored  so  that  tiie  sections  may 
be  drawn  together  with  bolts  Avhen  set  up  again. 

sary  to  move  location  a  short  distance  from  time  to  time.  These 
are  well  built  houses  of  luml^er  with  each  side,  roof  and  floor,  in 
sections,  to  be  easil.y  taken  down.  They  are  made  large  enough 
for  the  needs  of  the  apiary  the  year  round,  and  when  well  ])ut 
up  can  be  made  bee-tight.  Easily  taken  down,  they  can  be 
loaded  on  a  wagon  or  truck  and  rapidly  transported  to  a  new 
location. 

The  Permanent  House 


By  far  the  larger  percentage  of  apiary  houses  are  of  permanent 
construction,  carefully  built,  oftentimes  with  cement  floor  and 
large  enough  to  house  all  extra  equipment.  The  most  of  them 
are  used  in  connection  with  a  portable  extracting  outfit,  though 
not  a  few  are  equipped  with  a  permanent  one. 


HOKEV-HOrSES  AKD  EQf  IPMKXT 


iir 


Fi£ 


Hone3--house  built  with  ample  ventilation  for  extracting. 


A  house  of  such  construction,  designed  for  an  apiary  of 
ICO  colonies,  should  be  made  at  least  16  feet  wide  and  20  feet 
long,  while  a  larger  house  would  be  a  convenience;  the  size  desir- 
able, of  course,  being  dependent  upon  the  complexity  of  extracting 
outfit,  on  the  sj^stem  of  supering,  and  also  upon  whether  honey 
is  to  be  hauled  home  as  fast  as  extracted,  or  stored  at  the  out- 
yard  until  sold.  ]\Iany  have  storage  tanks  in  connection,  running 
the  honey  by  gravity  directly  into  the  honey  tank. 


Not  a  few  such  houses  are  made  two  or  more  stories  hiiih. 
to  allow  of  hone}'  packing,  carpenter  work,  etc.,  with  well  biiiU 
cellar  for  wintering  beneath.  These  involve  extra  investment 
but  are  exceedingly  desirable  when  conditions  warrant  them. 


lis 


OtTAPtAt'vlKi^ 


Fig.  56.     A  France  outapiarj'  house   with  ceUar  beneath  which  serves  as 

winter  cellar. 


Fig.  57.     Central  extracting  plant  of  K.  E.  Sutton  in  Colorado.     All  honey 
is  hauled  in  from  outapiaries,  to  be  extracted. 


HOXFA-HOUSES  AND  EQUIP.MEXT 


119 


The  Central  Plant 

The  central  extractinji  })lant  has  many  featvn-es  whieh  make 
it  attractive  to  the  oiitapiarist  so  located  as  to  make  such  a  system 
practicable.  Having  all  equipment  in  one  building  and  all  expendi- 
tures for  houses  to  be  emljodied  in  one  central  house,  it  is  possible 
to  so  plan  as  to  include,  in  this  one,  all  modern  equipment  advan- 
tageous for  running  several  hundred  colonies  of  bees. 

This  plan  is  much  favored  by  any  beekeeper  who  has  once 
practiced  it,  and  we  have  to  hear  of  a  single  instance  where  the 
central  plant  was  given  up  when  once  tried.  Almost  all  bee- 
keepers using  this  plan,  however,  have  had  previous  experience 
with  outyard  work  and  were  able  to  judge  whether  it  would  fit 
in  with  their  svstem  of  management  before  thev  made  the  change. 


Fig.  5S.     Central  plant  of  the  Jager  apiaries  in  Minnesota.     This  is  one  of 
the  most  complete  buildings  of  its  kind  anywhere. 


120  OUTAPIARIES 

The  central  plant  must  ])c  a  roomy,  well  ventilated  and  well 
lighted  building,  with  arrangements  for  power  for  the  extractors, 
elevators,  saws,  pump,  etc.  A  steam  plant  ma}^  be  installed  for 
heating  honey,  rendering  w-ix,  for  the  knife  and  capping  melter 
as  well  as  for  heating  the  building,  and  it  should  be  equipped 
with  a  water  system  and  in  fact  almost  any  equipment  which 
makes  for  cleanliness  and  labor  saving.  Its  interior  should  be 
so  divided  as  to  provide  a  separate  room  for  each  operation. 

For  the  reader's  information  we  can  do  no  better  than  to 
quote  a  description  of  the  central  plant  of  the  Pettit  apiaries  as 
described    by    Mr.    Morley  Pettit  in  the  American  Bee  Journal. 

"The  building  is  24  x  40  feet  with  walls  16  feet  to  the  plate, 
and  a  gable  roof.  It  is  built  on  a  concrete  foundation  and  is 
two  stories  high  with  a  4  inch  cement  floor  downstairs  and  a  pine 
floor  on  10  inch  joists  overhead.  The  joists  are  12  feet  long  and 
meet  on  a  middle  partition,  making  a  floor  strong  enough  to  carry 
almost  any  weight  that  is  likely  to  be  put  on  it." 

''The  ground  floor  is  divided  by  the  middle  partition  which 
stops  11  feet  from  one  end  for  the  garage,  running  across  the 
building  and  extending  six  feet  in  front.  This  garage  being  about 
11  X  30  feet  has  room  for  a  truck  and  an  automobile  or  two  light 
trucks,  as  required.  The  other  two  rooms,  each  12  x  29  feet  are 
the  extracting  room  and  honey-room  respectively.  It  is  ten  feet 
from  the  lower  to  the  upper  floor,  giving  a  ceiling  9  feet  in  the 
clear.  The  cement  foundation  of  walls  rises  four  inches  above 
the  cement  floor  which  slopes  towards  the  middle  of  each  room, 
where  a  bell-trap  connects  with  the  sewer.  This  makes  washing 
down  the  floor  with  hose  and  brush,  after  each  day's  extracting 
or  other  mussy  work,  a  pleasure  to  anticipate.  The  extracting 
room  also  has  a  washing  sink  with  draining  table  against  the 
middle  partition  near  the  door  of  the  honey  room.  Punning 
water,  hot  and  cold, and  steam  will  be  on  tap  at  the  sink." 

''The  upstairs  contains  the  office  of  the  business,  a  lavatory 
with  closet,  and  shower  for  the  men,  the  carpenter  shop,  paint 
shop,  foundation  room,  store  room,  etc.     As  far  as  possible  I 


HONEY-HOUSES  AND  EQUIPMENT  121 

aim  to  have  a  room  devoted  to  each  hne  of  work  and  use  it  for 
nothing  else.  Then  machiner}-  and  appHances  once  installed 
need  not  be  moved, but  can  be  left  all  read\'  for  use  at  a  moment's 
notice.  It  is  a  lot  of  space,  but  that  is  cheaper  than  man-time, 
which  is  about  the  most  expensive  commodity  there  is  in  pro- 
duction to-day." 

Interior  Arrangements 

It  would  l^e  impossible  to  give  sufficient  details  of  different 
interior  arrangements  of  honey-houses  without  creating  confusion 
in  the  minds  of  the  reader.  Naturally  the  arrangement  will  be 
worked  out  by  each  beekeeper  as  that  best  suited  to  his  needs. 
There  are,  however,  details  of  interior  arrangement  which,  if 
mentioned,  may  be  of  benefit  in  planning. 

An  ideal  way  is  to  have  the  honey,  as  it  comes  to  the  house, 
loaded  onto  a  tram  car  or  else  a  car  with  overhead  track  which 
leads  directly  to  the  uncapping-can  or  box  which  should,  above 


Fig.  .59.     Interior  arrangement  of  one  of  M.  H.  Mendleson"s  honey-houses 

in  California. 


122 


OUTAPIARIES 


Fig.  60.     A.  A.  Lyons  of  Colorado  runs  twopower  extractors  in  his  cen+rtil 
plant.     One  is  going  while  the  other  is  being  loaded. 

all,  be  placed  in  the  best  lighted  spot  in  the  room.  Next  to  the 
uncapping  box  should  be  a  dripping  box  for  uncapped  combs, 
and  next  to  this  the  extractor,  all  bemg  in  such  close  proximity 
that  the  combs  may  be  handled  from  the  uncapper  to  the  man 
at  the  extractor  without  vmnecessary  steps. 

Very  often  the  honey  comes  in  on  a  cool  daj^  and  may  become 
so  stiff  as  to  ])e  difficult  in  uncapping  and  extractmg.  A  Avell 
heated  room  where  these  combs  from  the  apiarj^  may  be  stored 
and  heated  for  a  short  time  before  going  to  the  extracting  room, 
will  be  of  advantage. 

There  is  a  decided  advantage  in  having  storage  room  l)el()w  the 
regular  extracting  room  also.  In  this  manner,  extractor  and  un- 
capping box  may  be  directly  connected  with  storage  tanks  l)y 
down-pipes.     Herman  Hauchfuss,  in  Colorado,  uses  this  method 


MONEV-HOtSES  AND;  EQtlPMEKT 


r>3 


and  has  the  pipes  lcadiiij>;  from  the  extractor  and  uncapping  box 
steam  jacketed  so  that  the  honey  on  its  way  down  is  heated. 
It  is  ch-awn  from  the  setthng  tanks  into  containers  before  becoming 
cold,  so  that  it  is  very  slow  to  granulate. 

Many  houses  have  cement  bases  for  extractors  and  some  are 
made  on  two  levels  so  that  the  extractor  may  be  placed  directly 
on  the  floor  and  the  honey  drawn  off  a  step  or  two  below.     Some 


lis.  61. 


.Settling  tanks  and  heating  system  are  in  the  basement  of  the 
.Sutton  central  plant. 


run  two  extractors  in  combination  so  that  one  may  be  loading 
while  the  other  is  extracting,  making  for  time  saving. 

Very  often  it  may  be  advisable  to  have  stove  or  steam  generat- 
ing plant  for  the  honey  knife  or  cappings  melter  outside  the 
liuilding  to  avoid  heat.  It  is  wise  to  have  a  large  boiler  for  generat- 
ing steam  for  the  knife  that  it  may  always  be  hot.     Very  often, 


124  OUTAPIARIES 

with  a  small  boiler  and  cold  honey,  steam  will  not  be  generated 
as  fast  as  needed. 

Power  for  the  extractor  is  gcnerall}-  furnished  by  a  gasoline 
engine.  The  engine  should  be  bought  sufficiently  large  so  that 
it  will  carry  an  extra  load  of  a  second  extractor  or  of  other  equip- 
ment should  such  ];e  needed  later. 

\Mu'rc  electric  power  is  available  a  motor  instead  of  a  gas 
engine  is  desirable.  The  motor  is  cleaner,  easier  running  and 
more  economical.  It  can  be  turned  on  when  ready  and  stopped 
during  intervals  wluni  desired. 

I  would  urge  upon  all  beekeepers,  keeping  a  cost  account  of 
the  ditTerent  operations  in  outapiary  honey  production.  Espec- 
ially is  this  desirable  with  the  use  of  trucks.  In  no  other  way 
can  the  beekeeper  be  sure  that  he  is  using  the  most  economical 
system  in  caring  for  his  bees.  So  far,  beekeeping  has  been  carried 
on  by  the  hit  or  miss  system  and  without  any  idea  of  costs  such 
as  have  helped  build  uj)  \hv  lai'ge  businesses  of  today. 


D.  H.  HILL  LIBRARY 

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language  is  a  36  page  monthly  magazine  profusely  illustrated  with 
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LANGSTROTH  ON 

THE  HONEY 

BEE 

REVISED  BY  DADANT. 

THIS  bt  ck  originally  written 
b>  Rev.  L.  L.  Langstroth, 
the  inventor  of  the  movable 
frame  hive,  has  been  revised  and 
kept  up  to  date  by  the  editor  of 
the  Ameiican  Bee  Journal.  It 
is  the  one  book  that  no  bee- 
keeper can  afford  to  be  with- 
out. It  contains  careful  and 
accurate  accounts  of  the  life  and 
habits  of  the  honey  bee  and  the 
mysteries  of  the  hive.  Full  and 
reliable  information  concerning 
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disease,  the  sources  of  nectar  and 
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and  marketing  large  crops  of 
honey  are  made  clear.  This 
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575  pages.  The  price  is  very 
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It  is  published  in  3  foreign  lan- 
guages, French.  Spanish  and 
Russian,  at  a  slightly  advanced 
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1,000  QUESTIONS  ABOUT  BEES 

ANSWERED  BY  DR.  C.  C.  MILLER. 

FOR  many  years  Doctor  Miller  has  conducted  the  question  and  answer  department 
in  The  American  Bee  Journal.     During  that  time  he  has    answered  questions 
relating  to  every  phase  of   beekeeping.     These  questions   have   been  sifted  and 
arranged  by  M.  G.  Dadant  and  are  now  offered  in  book  form. 

No  matter  what  your  problem  is,  you  will  find  the  answer  in  this  book,  for  bee- 
keepers of  all  ages  and  all  stages  of  experience  have  brought  their  queries  to  Doctor 
Miller.  This  book  is  intended  to  supplement  the  regular  text  books  on  beekeeping, 
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The  texts  tell  a  connected  story  of  bee  life  and  the  principles  of  honey  produc- 
tion, while  this  takes  up  singly  the  many  questions  that  confront  the  beekeeper  in  his 
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Books    On   Beekeeping 
American  Bee 


PRODUCTIVE   BEE- 
KEEPING 

BY    FRANK    C.    PELLETT 

ONE  of  the  latest  text  books  on  bee- 
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For   Sale 
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by   the 


CONTEXTS— 

1. 

Beekeeping  a  Fascinating  Pursuit. 

9. 

•) 

The  Business  of  Beekeeping. 

10. 

3. 

Making  a  Start  With  Bees. 

11. 

4. 

Arrangement  of  the  Apiary. 

12. 

o. 

Sources  of  Nectar. 

13. 

6. 

The  Occupants  of  the  Hive. 

14. 

7. 
S. 

Increase. 
Feeding. 

15. 

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Production  of  Comb  Honey. 
Production  of  Extracted  Honey. 
Wax,  A  By-Product. 
Diseases  and  Enemies  of  Bees. 
Wintering. 

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FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BEEKEEPING 

BY  C.  P.  DADANT. 

FOR  many  years  a  book  under  the  above  title  has  been  in  the  market.  It 
was  originally  written  by  Thos.  G.  Newman,  and  later  revised  by  C.  P. 
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ten from  beginning  to  end.  Even  though  you  have  the  old  book,  you  will  want  the 
new  one  also,  for  it  is  a  far  better  book  than  the  old  one  ever  was,  and  it  is  right  up  to 
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The  senior  editor  of  The  American  Bee  Journal,  who  is  the  author  of  the  New 
First  Lessons,  has  spent  nearly  all  his  life  in  a  beekeeping  atmosphere.  His  father, 
the  late  Charles  Dadant,  was  an  investigator  who  became  well  known  on  both  sides 
of  the  Atlantic,  and  whose  writings  have  been  translated  into  several  languages.  As  a 
young  man  the  author  of  thirst  Lessons  was  associated  with  his  father  in  honey  produc- 
tion and  assisted  him  in  the  many  experiments  which  he  conducted  in  his  efforts  to 
make   beekeeping   a   practical   business. 

Of  late  Mr.  Dadant  has  traveled  extensively,  both  in  Europe  and  America,  and 
is  familiar  with  the  best  methods  of  honey  production  and  with  the  leading  beekeepers 
of  many  countries.  With  a  lifetime  of  practical  experience  and  such  unusual  oppor- 
tunities for  observation,  C.  P.  Dadant  is  especially  fitted  to  prepare  a  book  for  the 
beginning  beekeeper. 

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AjTierican  Bee  Journal,  Hamilton,  Illinois 


